6. Profile and tendency of international education in Taiwan
6.2. SWOT analysis of the education sector in Taiwan
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there is favourable possibility for implementation of private school.
In the next part we will see however if the market can sustain development of new private school, knowing the decline of the population, the numerous public school that had to close, and the saturation of the market.
6.2. SWOT analysis of the education sector in Taiwan
By using a SWOT analysis and identifying the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of the education system in Taiwan, we help investors to carve a sustainable niche in the market
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craft a strategy, or differentiate themselves from the competitors,Strengths:
➢ Educated population and high rate of literacy
○ Enrolment rate of school-age children goes beyond 99.9 percent,
○ Postsecondary education opportunity rate goes to 100 percent,
○ Numerous Higher education institution
➢ Public education spending
○ Education budget to GDP ratio reaches 5.08 percent in 2015
➢ Education policies
○ Education policy aims to no longer focus on quantity but quality in Taiwan.
➢ Curriculum
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○ Taiwan school are more effective in classroom management and instruction than USA. (Stevenson group study; Stevenson and Stigler)
○ With new curriculum teachers will now have more flexibility to self-govern and more autonomy to enhance students’ creativity and thinking skills.
➢ Minorities
○ Elementary students learn indigenous language in school located in indigenous area
○ South-East Asian language in elementary school for new-immigrants.
➢ Educational innovations have been launched
○ To deal with the examination systems entrance in high-school.
○ To send students to a school near their home place.
○ Curricular contents and instruction are improved since the past.
○ The government’s ideological control is lessening.
Weaknesses Curriculum
➢ Education in Taiwan has been criticized by some for placing too much stress on students’ test scores which are in favour of memorization
➢ Heavy pressure associated with high school and university entrance exams
➢ varied teaching quality in various schools Rural versus urban school
➢ Differences in students’ ability to learn in urban versus rural areas Vulnerable social group and minority
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➢ Problems related to educational opportunities and cultural inheritance
➢ Lower education opportunities for indigenous children
➢ New immigrant children
Budget, school funding and parents finance
➢ Double pressure of academics and finances (supplementary education).
➢ Ineffectiveness in making educational investments since the budget for each school is difficult to obtain from regional governments
➢ Schools must follow the national government’s policies in order to compete for budgets, severely hindering public schools’ ability to develop in terms of their individual uniqueness.
➢ Shortage of educational supplies and skilled teachers due to the low budgets
➢ Extreme variations in income that exist among members of the Taiwanese public mean that education also faces such extremes: the rich and more developed districts gain more money in their budgets to improve their schools, but the poor districts have no chance in competing for funds.
➢ Families with a better financial background have the power to send their children to cram schools, raising their grades and improving their chances of being admitted to a better school, but families with less financial power do not have the ability to compete with the well-off families.
Demographics
➢ Birth-rate going down since 1997
➢ Many schools (especially in the remote areas) have found themselves confronted with
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serious problems related to the need to lay off teachers and shut down schools.
➢ Universities will face a series of institutional closures or mergers Policy and public responsiveness
➢ Parents worry about the changing policies of the government and that it is not providing a clear vision and feels more reinsured by private education.
➢ Policy often lack clear implementation.
➢ No additional credit given to school for experimental.
➢ No specific training at this stage for teacher for adapt to new policy of senior High School entrance free.
➢ No clear direction on new program given to schools.
➢ Parents move to another home to live closer to the good school.
Opportunities
Universities and student exchange
➢ Government has funded student exchanges and visits with overseas sister schools each year since 2005 in secondary school.
➢ University ranking and international benchmarking became central in university governance.
➢ Before the country have many nationals go to study abroad, now also host nation for students.
➢ Internationalization process and strategies, enhancing international curriculum and international enrolment.
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➢ Market for international students, dynamic growth industry sustained by public agency (government etc) and private sector.
➢ Attract South-East Asian students with New-South Bound policy.
➢ More international students study in Taiwan, attract foreign, and university become more competitive.
➢ Government subsidy and scholarship for international students.
Globalization impact:
➢ Introducing new courses such as foreign language and academic exchange.
➢ Development of bilingual class.
➢ International school and private school with international bilingual programme.
Pisa result
➢ Overall good result in PISA for math and science in international assessment.
Liberalization and innovation
➢ Government openness to the private school market.
➢ Public school , experimental school for other educational system
➢ Deployment of bilingual English education in public school as in Singapore has been discussed at political level.
Threats
➢ Pisa results are weak in learning.
➢ Boarding school and university abroad are still more attractive for Taiwanese people who can afford it.
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➢ Demographics and brain drain would affect the demographics and potential investment in education.
➢ If non-adaptation to global environment, non-development of English language, less openness to foreign immigration.