國際私立學校在台灣 : 機會與挑戰 - 政大學術集成

全文

(1)國立政治大學商學院國際經營管理英語碩士學位學程 International MBA Program College of Commerce National Chengchi University. 碩士論文政治. 大. 立Master’s Thesis. ‧ 國. 學 ‧. 國際私立學校在台灣:機會與挑戰. Challenges. n. Ch. engchi. er. io. al. sit. y. Nat. Private International Education in Taiwan: Opportunities and. i n U. v. Student: Nicolas Blanc Advisor: Professor Jack Wu. 中華民國一〇六年五月 May 2017.

(2) 國際私立學校在台灣:機會與挑戰 Private International Education in Taiwan: Opportunities and Challenges 研究生：白民凱. Student: Nicolas Blanc. 指導教授：吳文傑. 政治大國立政治大學. 學. ‧ 國. 立. Advisor: Jack Wu. ‧. 商學院國際經營管理英語碩士學位學程. er. io. A Thesis. sit. y. Nat. 碩士論文. n. a l to International MBA Program Submitted iv n U i National Chengchi e n g c hUniversity. Ch. in partial fulfilment of the Requirements for the degree of Master in Business Administration. 中華民國一〇六年五月 May 2017.

(3) Abstract Private International Education in Taiwan: Opportunities and Challenges By Nicolas Blanc. This paper will provide an overview of K-12 education in Taiwan, and the opportunities and challenges. It can be an handbook for investors and the government. The first part will focus on. 治政 Taiwanese education ranking at the global level. The following 大 part, a study of private education 立 sector, will give an understanding of law and regulation as well as the current actors of the private. history of education, curriculum, government education policies, education spending and the. ‧ 國. 學. education at K-12 level. A comparison will be made with the education systems in Singapore and. ‧. China, as they share many cultural roots and this comparison inform future government policies. In order to understand the possible future for Taiwanese education, we need to comprehend the. y. Nat. er. io. sit. country’s current economic, social and political development and make the link to educational issues. In this part we will particularly draw attention to the New South Bound Policy, the demographic issue. n. al. Ch. i n U. v. and immigration policies. The last part of this paper will provide a business analysis of the education. engchi. sector, using Porter’s model, SWOT and build a comparison with other South-East Asian countries regarding international school at K-12 level. The final recommendation will show to investors that Taiwan is a favourable place for private investment in the education sector due to its current government but should not be country of choice in Asia as China and Indonesia offer more opportunities in term of market growth.. Keywords: (Education), (Private), (Taiwan), (International), (K-12). i.

(4) TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Taiwan education aspects ..................................................................................................... 1 1.1. Brief history of education in Taiwan ............................................................................... 1 1.2. Identity and government education policies .................................................................... 2 1.3. Society, culture and values .............................................................................................. 2. 政治大. 1.4. Education and school curriculum .................................................................................... 3. 立. 1.5. MOE regulation and education reforms .......................................................................... 6. ‧ 國. 學. 1.6. Budget and Educational Spending................................................................................. 10. ‧. 1.7. International Assessment in Education .......................................................................... 13. sit. y. Nat. 2. Private school in Taiwan .................................................................................................... 16. n. al. er. io. 2.1. Private education in Taiwan........................................................................................... 16. Ch. i n U. v. 2.2. Law and regulation ........................................................................................................ 18. engchi. 2.3. International schools for foreign residents .................................................................... 19 3. Private schools around the world, and specific focus on International Schools ........... 27 3.1. International schools around the world and in Asia ...................................................... 27 3.2. Vision and criticism on private and international education ......................................... 31 3.3. Distinction between the different types of private schools............................................ 33 4. Education system in China and Singapore....................................................................... 35. ii.

(5) 4.1. Singapore education system .......................................................................................... 35 4.2. China private education overview ................................................................................. 37 4.2.1.. A brief review of education institutions in China until the reforms period ...... 37. 4.2.2.. Deng Xiaoping South China Tour and the booming of private education in china 39. 4.2.3.. A definition of private school in China ............................................................ 40. 4.2.4.. Type of private school and educational institution in China ............................ 41. 4.2.5.. The social aspect and the choice of parents for the private education ............. 42. 4.2.6.. The market for private school in China ............................................................ 46. 4.2.7.. Chinese Government Policies toward education and the question of for-profit. school. 48. 4.2.8.. The future of private education in China and comparison with Taiwan........... 50. 立. 政治大. ‧. ‧ 國. 學. sit. y. Nat. io. n. al. er. 5. Taiwan economic, social and political development and education issues .................... 53. i n U. v. 5.1. Taiwan economic overview ........................................................................................... 53. Ch. engchi. 5.2. Liberal economy and education in Taiwan .................................................................... 54 5.3. Taiwan economic integration ......................................................................................... 56 5.3.1.. Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)................................................... 57. 5.3.2.. ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) .................................................................... 58. 5.3.3.. Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA).................................. 58. 5.3.4.. Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) ......................................................................... 58. 5.4. Social, political and local versus Global issues ............................................................. 58 5.5. Taiwan New Southbound Policy ................................................................................... 62. iii.

(6) 5.6. Taiwan demographics and immigration policies ........................................................... 65 5.6.1.. Taiwan population distribution by age ............................................................. 66. 5.6.2.. Issues on working force raised by National Development Council (NDC) in. 2015. 72. 5.6.3.. New Southbound Policy Promotion Plan ......................................................... 73. 5.6.4.. National Development Council’s Plan for Retention of Talent in Taiwan ....... 73. 5.6.5.. Other issue that are on the process and approved recently ............................... 74. 政治大 6. Profile and tendency of international education in Taiwan ............................................ 75 立. ‧ 國. 學. 6.1. Porter’s Diamond Analysis: Taiwan competitive advantage and impact on international education ............................................................................................................................... 75. ‧. 6.2. SWOT analysis of the education sector in Taiwan ........................................................ 80. y. Nat. n. al. er. External influences ........................................................................................... 87. io. 6.3.1.. sit. 6.3. Porter’s 5 forces analysis: Taiwan market entry for investors ....................................... 85. Ch. i n U. v. 6.4. K-12 International Schools in Taiwan and South-East Asia, market analysis and. engchi. recommendations .................................................................................................................. 89 6.4.1.. Comparison of K-12 International Schools in South-East Asian countries...... 89. 6.4.2.. Analysis of Taiwan private and international schools enrolment ..................... 97. 7. Private International schools growth forecast in Taiwan: investors recommendations ................................................................................................................................................ 100 7.1. International schools market growth and demand worldwide ..................................... 100 7.2. Reasons for investing in the education sector & K-12 International schools.............. 101. iv.

(7) 7.3. Potential growth forecast model considering implementation of NDC and New Southbound Policy.............................................................................................................. 103 8. Conclusion and recommendation .................................................................................... 106 Reference ............................................................................................................................... 107. 立. 政治大. ‧. ‧ 國. 學. n. er. io. sit. y. Nat. al. Ch. engchi. v. i n U. v.

(8) List of Figures and Tables Table 1: Public and Private Educational Expenditure (source: MOE) ..................................... 11 Table 2: Ratio of Taiwan educational expenditure to GDP in percent (source: MOE statistics) .......................................................................................................................................... 12 Table 3: PISA score in mathematics (source: PISA) ................................................................ 14 Table 4: Country of Admissions for a Class of 2015 – 65 students from the TES ................... 30 Table 5: Different type of school in china – from Mun C. Tang (2001) ................................... 41. 治政 Table 6: Marriage in Taiwan, by nationals and foreigners大 (source: Ministry of the Interior立 Taiwan) ............................................................................................................................. 61 ‧ 國. 學. Table 7: Percentage of foreigners in Taiwan and international comparison (sources: OCDE. ‧. factbook and National Immigration Agency) ................................................................... 70 Table 8: The number of ARC holders under age of 15 (source: National Immigration Agency). y. Nat. er. io. sit. .......................................................................................................................................... 72 Table 9: Taiwan enrolment in private school at all level in 2016 (source: MOE) .................... 97. n. al. Ch. i n U. v. Table 10: enrolment in Taiwan schools public and private from 2014 to 2016 (source: MOE). engchi. .......................................................................................................................................... 98 Table 11: Variation in enrolment in Taiwan schools public and private from 2014 to 2016 (source: MOE) .................................................................................................................. 98 Table 12: Foreign student’s enrolment in Taiwan schools public and private in 2016 (source: MOE) ................................................................................................................................ 99 Table 13: K-12 International schools in Taiwan, Potential growth forecast model................ 104. vi.

(9) Figure 2: FOBISIA School Fees in Asia, converted in NT$ for 2017 ...................................... 29 Figure 3: Country of Admissions for a Class of 2015 – 65 students from the TES ................. 30 Figure 4: Marriage with foreign spouses in Taiwan -2011-2016 (source: Ministry of the Interior- Taiwan) ............................................................................................................... 62 Figure 5: Taiwan 2016 population distribution structure by age (source: National Statistics. 政治大. Taiwan) ............................................................................................................................. 67. 立. Figure 6: Taiwan fertility rate and number of births (source: National Statistics Taiwan) ...... 68. ‧ 國. 學. Figure 7: The total number of ARC holders in Taiwan (source National Immigration Agency). ‧. .......................................................................................................................................... 71. y. Nat. er. io. sit. Figure 8: The number of ARC holders under 15 yrs old in Taiwan (source: National Immigration Agency) ........................................................................................................ 71. n. al. Ch. engchi. i n U. v. Figure 9: Number of International Schools in South-East Asia (sources: ISC Research) ........ 90 Figure 10: Number of International Schools per 100,000 population in South-East Asia (sources: ISC Research).................................................................................................... 91 Figure 11: Estimated number of students in International schools in South-East Asia ............ 92 Figure 12: Estimated number of students in International school per 1,000 population in South-East Asia ................................................................................................................ 93 Figure 13: Population in millions in South-East Asia (sources: CIA World Factbook) ........... 94. vii.

(10) Figure 14: Population Growth in South-East Asia (sources: CIA World Factbook) ................ 95 Figure 15: GDP per capita US$ in South-East Asia (sources: CIA World Factbook) .............. 96. 立. 政治大. ‧. ‧ 國. 學. n. er. io. sit. y. Nat. al. Ch. engchi. viii. i n U. v.

(11) 1. Taiwan education aspects. 1.1. Brief history of education in Taiwan. Taiwan a small island nation located 180km east of China, have today a majority of Han descendant population, due to the modern history of the island. The Republic of China. 政治大 Japanese defeat in 1945 that mark the end of their colonisation 立. (R.O.C), in exile led by the general Chiang Kai Sheck took control of Taiwan after the. ‧ 國. 學. The island had a long history of colonisation by other nations. It’s formal education in the past centuries was a succession of different system; the Chinese imperial examinations (Keju. ‧. System), Spanish Catholic Education, Dutch Protestant Education, and formal Japanese. y. Nat. er. io. sit. Education until the end of Japanese rule... Dutch traders, who settled in the island in the middle of seventeenth century, established the. al. n. v i n first school in southern Taiwan on school it had a religious content but C1636. h e nAsga cmissionary hi U its curriculum include also reading and writing aboriginal languages in Latin. Following the Sino-Japanese War, the Japanese rule the island after 1895.The Japanese government then implemented the Taiwanese Education Act that divided the education system into four categories: general, vocational, specialized, and normal (teacher) education. With the end of Japanese rules, the Island was under the Chinese nationalist that soon establishes a mandatory system of 6 year of primary education that was extended to nine years in 1968.. 1.

(12) 1.2. Identity and government education policies. With the change of nations that rules Taiwan, the government use national education as a tool to shape the identity of its population. The Japanese use education for assimilate the Taiwanese people to Japanese culture. When the Chinese Nationalist came into power they aimed to abolish the Japanese influence and reinforce the Chinese identity. They had banned Taiwanese dialect and restrict indigenous tradition. After 1980 however and the growing up. 治政 of Taiwanese identity, those prohibitions were left, 大 and emphasize the local Taiwanese 立 identity, ‧. ‧ 國. 學. 1.3. Society, culture and values. er. io. sit. y. Nat. There is often a differentiation made between the western countries described as. al. n. v i n individualistic society, where theCright of individual is strongly developed and the collective hengchi U society. Most of East Asian countries fall into this last category. The economic development and the education are linked to the goal of national interest, rather than individual needs. The Confucian values, influence the political system in China over the centuries and develop strong collective society. It shaped a strong ethical framework families value and respect of elders and authority. Confucius place education as a priority, and cultivate effort and work, considering playing game as a waste of time. Population expectation is based on this Confucianism values and also on the imperial system examination, the Keju system, where students were selected based on test and exams.. 2.

(13) It is in this cultural context that education curriculum and pedagogical methods were developed in Taiwan in the past century.. 1.4. Education and school curriculum. As we just seen, the Taiwan’s modern education system integrates the Confucian culture, but also state authoritarianism under the early Chinese Nationalist rule via the Kuomintang party. 治政 (KMT). However in the 1980, with the openness of the 大 society, the end of martial law and the 立 influence of Western capitalist ideology in the development of globalization, Taiwan started ‧ 國. 學. adopted neoliberal principle to education that would affect its education reform and policies.. ‧. Until recently and the development of the new curriculum in the recent year, Taiwan national. sit. y. Nat. education had an examination oriented curriculum. Student education focuses on examination. io. er. entrance for high School and university. Exam-oriented is rooted in the society and not only. al. v i n C h than instruction. U As a result exam carries more weight e n g c h i Secondary school prepares students for n. related to education. It is part of cultural belief, Confucianism, Keju system and credentials.. examination and instruction has been dominated by cramming and memorizing. The instructions are teacher oriented and emphasize on student competitiveness to survive to the next educational level. The curriculum and teaching methods have been criticized as putting exams priority behind well balanced individual development. Student creativity is absent due to strict academic practices, and unfair practice as tracking (student divided into categories according to abilities) continues even it is forbidden. Teacher are often convinced that students learn better with others at same level despite research on that topic concluded that it’s not beneficial at all. 3.

(14) The current educational system comprises: ● The day care institutions for the 2-4 years old, oversee by Ministry of Interior Affairs, in charge of social education institutions. This is not at the compulsory level. ● Public kindergarten which enrol 4-6 years old students as part of national curriculum. The primary school starting for students at 6 year olds ● Junior and senior high students have the choice to enrol in an academic or vocational. 治政大 schooling. Comprehensive high Education that is offer to the final years of mandatory 立 school copied from the US educational system during 1990 reforms.. track. There is also an alternative pathway with a Comprehensive Secondary. ‧ 國. 學. ● The higher education. ‧. The compulsory education is free of charge at all level in the public schools.. sit. y. Nat. Taiwan had accepted alternative model of education into its curriculum in the 1990’s. The. al. er. io. Forest School for example have a less stressful learning approach than the classic pathway,. iv n U County’s. n. and beside the traditional courses, the teaching emphasis on teacher-student relationship,. Ch. engchi. aboriginal culture. We can mention the Nantou. Forest Elementary School,. established in 1990, the Taipei County’s Seedling Elementary School, established in 1994. From the website1 we can notice that the schools describe themselves as humanist movement against the mainstream of examination oriented government controlled. They mention “The Forest Schools is going to be a demonstration of humanistic education and this demonstration will call upon the people to fight the system”.. 1. http://www.forestschool.com.tw/eng.php 4.

(15) The Waldorf schools are based on the educational approach of Rudolf Steiner, an Austrian philosopher, which accentuates the role of imagination, practical and artistic development of students. It has been well received by parents enthusiastic for its self learning approach. Ci Xing Waldorf School locate in Yilan County, in the northeast region, is the first private forest school ran by the public sector in Taiwan. In this regards, the MOE support any initiative from local government in term of experimental Some school 治政大 considers alternative education as specialized in music. The annual MOE report for 2016-17 立 a way to center on individual student development. school, to be run by public sector as the case of the Waldorf School.. ‧ 國. 學. Other innovative pedagogical experience can be listed as the e-Future Classroom at Nanhu. ‧. Elementary School in Taipei’s Neihu District that is equipped with cutting-edge technology to. sit. y. Nat. support teaching in the digital age.. n. al. er. io. However the MOE is interested in all learning and teaching experience from the west, as part. i n U. v. of the opening of Taiwan to the world. It cooperates with the National Development Council,. Ch. engchi. which asked MOE to initiate bilingual classes in schools. Currently selected classes in four schools in Taiwan are completely taught in English, some other are bilingual with reinforce English lessons, and they plan to develop other subject as maths totally taught in English. The overall strategy is the globalization of Taiwan. English for specific purpose (ESP) in Taiwan start to be taught in classroom since the early 60’s. English is considered as language of business (banking, commerce, trade) research, technology and tourism. Study English as medium of communication is important element in the education and for Taiwan to engage as a player in global economic stage. Nowadays. 5.

(16) English is compulsory subject within national mainstream school system from grade 3 in elementary school on up. Foreign languages such as Korean, Vietnamese, Japanese, French, and Spanish were also added to language programs by the MOE. Since 1999 to encourage student to learn a second language the MOE launch a Five-Year Program to Promote the Teaching of a Second Foreign Language in Senior High School.. 政治大 Southeast Asia language in立 the required courses in the elementary school. However, Taiwan. The new curriculum guidelines, for the 12 year compulsory education, incorporate the. ‧. ‧ 國. 學. currently has a shortage of Cambodian, Filipino and Malaysian teachers.2. n. al. er. io. sit. y. Nat. 1.5. MOE regulation and education reforms. i n U. v. The Ministry of Education (MOE), under the executive Yuan, is in charge of educational. Ch. engchi. affairs that were formerly handled by the province. The MOE is responsible for setting and maintaining education policies and managing public institutions of education throughout Taiwan. It have it’s on budget and play a crucial role in strategic policies, however,. county. and municipal authorities have power to handle funding, supply of teachers, curriculum and enrolments at their level.. 2. Shortage of Southeast Asian Language Teachers in Taiwan's New K-12 Education Policy-. international.thenewslens.com/article/35351). 6.

(17) In 1968 a nine year Compulsory Education system was put into effect and consisted of six years for elementary education and three years junior high school. The Compulsory Education Act aimed to offering equal educational opportunities to students regardless of their family background. After 1994 in the hope of moving toward diversity and excellence, the MOE published a series of educational laws, as the University Act, the Teacher Education Law, the Teacher Act,. 治政大 Association. Establishing a Parents. the National Education Act, the Education Basic Law, the Faculty and Staff Retirement and Pension Rule, Regulations for. 立. Schools gained in. autonomy and get the right to select their textbook. The privatization of textbook, that was. ‧ 國. 學. carry after 1996, was a step forward to focus on local history and geography and eradicate the. ‧. pro-china or Japanese colonial influence.. sit. y. Nat. In 2001 the government integrate the elementary and junior high school curriculum. The main. al. er. io. changes were to help students develop self-understanding, respect for others, self-expression,. v. n. capacity for lifelong learning, and respect for the law and global perspectives.. Ch. engchi. i n U. Government get pressure from employer that required skilled workers and therefore extended the period of compulsory education. In 2014 the government announced the implementation of a 12-year Curriculum for Basic Education, as a response to foster key competencies in future generations and boost Taiwan’s economic competitiveness. The 2016-17 the MOE Activity Report named three main objectives for its future: 1. “Encourage students to attend schools close to their home; and progressively implement adaptive learning and completely non exam-based admission to each stage of the 12-Year Basic Education program.. 7.

(18) 2. Allocate educational resources in order to safeguard the right to an education of students in rural areas, of students with disabilities, and of socio-economically disadvantaged and other vulnerable students, thereby addressing social justice concerns. 3. Train professional teachers who can think independently, and who respect diversity and treat different students equally.”. 政治大. This new curriculum is based on goals, missions, and values which place learners at the center. 立. guidance to suitable careers in line with international trends.. 學. ‧ 國. of an adaptive education, given him a variety of choices for advanced learning, and provides. education:. ‧. The undergoing education reforms in 2016-17 focus on the following aspect of the K-12. sit. y. Nat. er. io. 1. A quality environment for schools. al. n. 2. Promote innovative teaching 3.. i n C More Senior High School toh beeeducation free ngchi U. v. 4. Adaptive courses for students learning needs 5. Improve technological and vocational education and the connection between work and school 6. Professional development of teacher, with teaching practice, digital learning, and differentiated instruction 7. Train student to problem solving and independent innovative thinking 8. Rural school and the right to learn in remote areas 9. Diverse learning environment. 8.

(19) 10. Native language classes for new immigrants 11. Strengthen indigenous people education 12. Career development 13. Lifelong learning 14. Promote regular exercise activities. The Department of Planning and Resource of the MOE mention that in 2018 the compulsory. 政治大. education system will be completely implemented at the high school level leading to. 立. development of adaptive learning and completely non exam-based admission to each stage of. ‧ 國. 學. the 12-Year Basic Education program.. ‧. The government want to encourage students to attend schools close to their home. However competition in the school system will be allow for some top school, to attract best students. er. io. sit. y. Nat. from other districts.. al. v i n Ch U for more transformation. Taiwan country own national and cultural identity, e n gbutcstill h istriving n. Education reforms helped Taiwan to develop its education to the current state and forged the. has to participating in internationalization and integrates internationalization as well as localization in education reform to give a clear understanding of Taiwan as a nation for its citizens. The recent reforms are therefore a continuity to develop, modernize and adapt to local and global needs for its educational system. However in the past there has been problematic area around the management, high turnover of Ministers education, lack of trial study to implement reform, lack teacher training, miscommunication with parent’s, the gap rural. 9.

(20) versus city and rich versus poor. It is too early at this stage to have a clear feedback if the reforms succeed to fix those issues. In its vision for the coming years the MOE will uphold the concept of “replace the right to an education with the right to learn, for all citizens, and make education genuinely learner centered”(..) carry out deregulation and innovation in the education system, take initiative to establish platforms to communicate to the world and strengthen partnerships with local governments to cultivate mature citizens for the next generation. “ (annual report 2016-17). 1.6. Budget and Educational Spending. 學. ‧ 國. 治政大 institutions. placing in the center of its vision the role of private educational 立 ‧ sit. y. Nat. Government’s educational expenditures are written inside the constitution (Article 164) that. er. io. stipulates government’s educational expenditures should be at least 15 percent of the general. al. v i n C h draw up an ample specified that local governments should e n g c h i U budget for education. Since 1997 n. government net revenues at all levels. Education Basic Law (Article 5), launched in 1999,. central and the local governments (including municipalities and counties) have taken responsibility for educational budget allocations. Expenditure on education might help foster the nation economic growth, enhance productivity, contribute to the population personal and social development, and help reduce social inequalities.. 10.

(21) % of GNI3. Amount Fiscal Year. % GDP (NT$1,000). Public. Private. 1951. 213,082. 1.68. 1.73. …. …. 2015. 848,212,021. 5.08. 4.93. 3.68. 1.25. Table 1: Public and Private Educational Expenditure (source: MOE). 立. 政治大. Taiwan public spending on education - 1951 to 2015. 20 15. ‧. ‧ 國. 學. 25. sit. n. al. er. io. 5. y. Nat. 10. 0. Ch. i n U. v. 51' 61' 71' 81' 83' 85' 87' 89' 91' 93' 95' 97' 99' 01' 03' 05' 07' 09' 11' 13' 15'. % of GNI. ePublic ngchi. Private. % of Gov.. Figure 1: Public spending on education in Taiwan from 1951 to 2015, source: MOE. 3. Gross national income (GNI) is the total domestic and foreign output claimed by residents. of a country, consisting of gross domestic product (GDP) plus factor incomes earned by foreign residents, minus income earned in the domestic economy by non-residents. (Todaro & Smith, 2011: 44). 11.

(22) In 1961 the just over 10% of the government spending were dedicated to education budget, it’s over 20% in 2015. The Worldbank data shows that the world average expenditure on education as percentage of total government expenditure is 14%, for East Asia 13.2% and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) 12.4% in 2013. .Part of funding for allocate to private institution, 25.28% of budget, and 74.72% go for public schools. The funds allocate for private schools education concerning subsidy and scholarship. For example, the government has partially subsidized preschool an provide NT$30,000. 政治大. (US$1,018) per child for education in a private institution.. Ratio of Taiwan educational expenditure to GDP in percent. 5.42. 4.14. io. 2013. 5.47. 2014. 5.24. 2015. 5.08. 4.22. al. 4.23. n. 5.57. sit. 5.48. 2012. Private Sector 1.28. y. Nat. 2011. Public Sector. Ch. er. 2010. Average. ‧. Year. 學. ‧ 國. 立. n U engchi 4.08. iv. 1.26 1.33 1.38. 3.93. 1.31. 3.8. 1.29. Table 2: Ratio of Taiwan educational expenditure to GDP in percent (source: MOE statistics). The average government spending on education as part of GDP is 4.6% at the global level, and for East Asia & Pacific 3.9% (World Bank data 2013)4. Taiwan is therefore below the. 4. http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.XPD.TOTL.GD.ZS?end=2015&start=1998&view=chart. 12.

(23) global average, but in line of other Asian countries, with a 3.8% of GDP from public sector in 2015. Regarding investment from private sector, the range is between 2.3% (Indonesia) to 4.8% (UK) of GDP, with OECD average of 3.6% from Worldbank data5. Date collected by Eurostat6, the Official EU statistical, data concerning public expenditure in education estimate an average of 5.3% of GDP and 10.8% of all public expenditure for the EU-28. Total public expenditure on education includes direct public funding for educational. 治政 expenses of educational institutions or scholarships). 大立. institutions, transfers to households and enterprises, and the public sector (current and capital. ‧ 國. cost in average represent. 學. If we compare Taiwan education funding with OECD, it is important to know that personnel is 75% of educational expenditure, and in. Taiwan 93% because. ‧. the pension are calculated as part of expenditure, which can explain the lower level of. n. al. er. io. sit. y. Nat. expenditure.. C hin Education 1.7. International Assessment engchi. i n U. v. As part of international recognition and alignment with OECD countries, the MOE is concern with the position of Taiwan in international reports as TIMMS and PISA in math and science. Concerning this last one the previous records show a good trend in math and science but difficulty in reading.. 5. https://data.oecd.org/eduresource/private-spending-on-education.htm. 6. http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Educational_expenditure_statistics. 13.

(24) The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) is a “triennial international survey which aims to evaluate education systems worldwide by testing the skills and knowledge of 15-year-old students. In 2015 over half a million students, representing 28 million 15-year-olds in 72 countries and economies, took the internationally agreed two-hour test. Students were assessed in science, mathematics, reading, collaborative problem solving and financial literacy.” (PISA website). PISA score in mathematics. 立. 564. Singapore. 548. Hong Kong. 544. Macao. 564 548 544. y. Nat. 542. io. n. al. Taipei. sit. Korea. Score. 542. er. Hong Kong. 2015. ‧. Finland. Score. 學. Taipei. ‧ 國. 2006. 政治大. i n U. v. Table 3: PISA score in mathematics (source: PISA). Ch. engchi. The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) assessment is widely regarded as an important indicator for education policymaking. 1. The outcome of the PISA proves that grant funding is one of the key factors that contributes to the differences in student 2. PISA performance according to regional location. Those from urban areas, which receive more funding, perform better on this international standardized test. The average class in Taiwan was comprised of 41 students per class in 1992, and was reduced to 34.9 in 2002. Yet in 2002, there were still 30.1 students per class at the primary level, 35.7. 14.

(25) in junior high, and 41.5 in senior, 39.6 in vocational high school. In 2010 policy to reduce size class primary school to 28 students, goal 25 in 2014. However the students per class at Elementary to Junior High School were 28.71 in 2015-16 academic years.. 立. 政治大. ‧. ‧ 國. 學. n. er. io. sit. y. Nat. al. Ch. engchi. 15. i n U. v.

(26) 2. Private school in Taiwan. 2.1. Private education in Taiwan. The development of private schools in Taiwan can be traced back to the late 1960s and early 1970s. At that time Taiwan was focused on implementing the nine-year compulsory education,. 政治大 meeting requirements for primary education. In this context the government encouraged the 立 and it invested most of its educational funding in establishing junior high schools and also. ‧ 國. 學. private sector to run senior high schools, junior colleges, and universities. However due to poor teaching quality and learning environment of this schools, the establishment of private. ‧. schools was stopped completely from 1974.. y. Nat. sit. Since the late 1980s, governments in Taiwan have responded to the worldwide trend of. n. al. er. io. neoliberalism and globalization, including political democratization and economic. i n U. v. transformation. It has increased the relative autonomy and responsibility of individual. Ch. engchi. institutions. Through deregulation and liberalization, each institution is expected to become more competitive and accountable. These mechanisms were implemented within the education system in Taiwan. The government reforms aimed to improve education quality by decentralizing governance and finance, and increasing school personnel’s outcome-based accountability. In 1999 the government revise the preceding regulation and permit the establishment of private schools at all levels. The country’s basic principle of education policy was published. In the article 6: Private school are encouraged and government offer them subsidies.. 16.

(27) Since that time some problems had been apparent in the handling of public private school. The high personnel cost of private schools, and similarly a lower remuneration than in public sector, leading to a shortage of teacher in private school. For parents a high level of tuition, with no guarantee of receiving a better education. English-immersion or bilingual classes had an enormous growth over the past year and concern the English -immersion preschool in phase with parents demand. The schools which. 政治大. use didactic approach as Montessori, Froebel, Waldorf, Dewey, are private and flourished all over the island.. 立. ‧ 國. 學. As Secondary High School, were not part of the compulsory curriculum it has an important number of private Secondary High Schools.. ‧. In observing the state of public and private educational investment, it is possible to see that. sit. y. Nat. io. er. 1. Public expenditure began going down after reaching its peak in 1993. 2. private expenditure, in contrast, kept growing, rising twice at impressive rates in 1982. al. n. v i n Cahquarter of the proportion and 1997, and sharing over after 2005 (MOE 2010). engchi U. Outside of the system, the government can also subsidize private language institutions to open related courses. Another idea is that overseas Chinese, international students and new residents from Southeast Asia can all be candidates for teaching positions, offering people wishing to learn the languages a wider array of choices7.. 7. https://international.thenewslens.com/article/35351. 17.

(28) 2.2. Law and regulation. Currently there are two laws that oversee the private educational institution in Taiwan. The Private School Law that contain 89 articles was revised in June 2014. Each article overview the establishment, registration, Board Members, organization, students enrolment, compensation of teachers and staff members,. grants and donations.. 政治大 any limitation on the tuition fees level. There is also no mention if investor can get a 立 The private schools are defined as non-profit organisations. However the law do not set up. ‧ 國. 學. reasonable return of investment as long as the profit making model is not solely profit driven. The only regulatory mechanism is specifying in the article 64, specify that school assets can’t. ‧. be sold over for profit or personal gain in case of dissolution.. y. Nat. sit. ‘’Unless a school legal person is merged, the property remaining after it dissolves and. n. al. er. io. liquidates shall be handled in the following order. The property remaining shall by no. i n U. v. means be handed over to natural persons or for-profit organizations.. Ch. engchi. 1. Handled in accordance with the Rules.. 2. Donated to public schools or juridical persons engaged in educational, cultural or social welfare undertakings per the board’s resolution and the legal person authority’s approval. 3. Handed over the city/county in which the school legal person is located. However, the immovable property belongs to the city/county in which it is located. The city/county government shall use the property for educational, cultural and social welfare purposes only. ‘’ Private School Law, article 64.. 18.

(29) The article 83 of the Private School Law specifies the possibility to establish school for foreign children. ‘’Citizens of the Republic of China, foreigners, and foreign legal persons legally accredited to do so may set up private elementary schools, junior and senior high schools, and affiliated preschools in the Republic of China, exclusively for students with foreign nationality.(...)’’ Private School Law, article 83. The ‘’Regulations for the Establishment and Management of Private Elementary Schools,. 治政大 for International Residents’’ Junior and Senior High Schools, and Affiliated Preschools 立 revised in 2013 review over 40 article the condition to run international school. ‧ 國. 學 ‧. 2.3. International schools for foreign residents. y. Nat. er. io. sit. Taiwan increasingly interacts with the global community and over the year numerous international schools opened in the island. These schools provide education for foreigners. n. al. Ch. i n U. v. located in Taiwan, with education based on their home curriculum. Instructions are convey in. engchi. English, German, French, Korean or Japanese, based on their curricula. The MOE is listing on its website the educational Institutions for Foreign Resident, including the Private High Schools, Lower Grade Schools and Affiliated Kindergartens for International residents at the K-12 level.. 1. Taipei American School. 2. Taipei Korean School. 3. Dominican International School. 19.

(30) 4. Taipei Bethany American School. 5. Taipei Japanese School. 6. Taipei European School. 7. Taipei Adventist American School. 8. Grace Christian Academy. 9. Hsinchu International School. 10. Hsinchu American School. 11. Pacific American School. 12. Taichung Japanese School. 13. American School in Taichung. 14. Morrison Academy. 15. Morrison Academy Kaohsiung. 16. Kaohsiung American School. 17. Kaohsiung Japanese School. 18. Kaohsiung Korean School. 19. Dominican International School Kaohsiung. 政治大. 學 ‧. ‧ 國. 立. n. er. io. sit. y. Nat. al. Ch. engchi. i n U. v. Some school are not listed here but belong to the international school based on less strict criteria. The International School Consultancy (ISC Research)8 listed 29 schools in its last report as belonging to the international school in Taiwan. In fact another type of international schools had developed around the island. Those private schools often integrate Chinese and English into the curricula and coursework. They employ. 8. www.iscresearch.com/. 20.

(31) faculty and staff of international backgrounds, and recruit in the pool of local students. They emphasize multicultural campus life and adopt a mix of Taiwan curriculum with bilingual programme, some with a Christ-Centered community. They prepare students for entrance of overseas university, mainly in USA. These new trends in education represent Taiwan’s dedication to meeting the new challenges of globalization while coping with its rising awareness of local demand.. 政治大. We can identify some school entering this category:. 學. ‧ 國. 立. 1. Taipei Wego Private Bilingual Senior High School 2. Taipei Fushing Private School. ‧. 3. Taipei Private Tsai Hsing School. y. Nat. n. al. 6. Taipei Kuei Shan School. Ch. engchi. 7. I-Shou International School in Kaohsiung. er. io. 5. Kang Chiao International School (Taipei Campus). sit. 4. Taipei Private Dongshan Junior High school. i n U. v. 8. Victoria Academy in Yunlin 9. Pu Tai Senior High School. in Nantou. In 2011 the European Chamber of Commerce Taiwan (ECCT) CEO, Freddie Hoeglund, said that international school had a crucial role in relocate expatriate from Europe in Taiwan. Corporation support the establishment of such school. The Japanese, American and European school are all operated as non-profit and rely also partly on corporate sponsorship.. 21.

(32) The quality of the school is a great matter for its supporter and the yardstick to measure it is the acceptance for prestigious university in Europe, USA or Canada. The Japanese, American and European school are all located in the same area, in the Shilin District, or Tianmu. The first of those three international schools to be established in Taiwan was the American school. After the Korean War started in 1950, USA stationed its troupes in Taiwan. Embassy and. 政治大 domestic airport. The first立 American school were located in this area, then relocated in military were located along the Zhongshan North Road, around the area of the current. ‧ 國. 學. Tianmu, in the land occupy currently by the European school. Later on the school expanded and move to the 6th Section of the Zhongshan North Road, in front of the Japanese School. ‧. and have both its primary and Secondary School in the same campus.. y. Nat. sit. The European school, have a more recent history, it was created in 1992 when both French,. n. al. er. io. British and German school decide to join and share a common campus, in the premise of the. i n U. v. old American school in the Wenlin Road. Today the three school fully integrated have. Ch. engchi. students based on two campus, the primary school on the Wenlin road campus and the Secondary School in Yangminshan, Yangde Avenue, not far from the Culture University. Before USA switch its relationship to China in 1979, the American school was packed with military personnel children and had enrolment up to 3,000 students. Following the drop of enrolment after the military retired, in the mid 1980, however classroom filled up again with children of executive that were overseen the manufacturing in Taiwan. In 1980 Taiwan open its high tech science park in Hsinchu and it’s also impacted the demographics of international schools. The effect was a reverse brain drain and many. 22.

(33) Taiwanese engineer and scientist return home, and were in demand of international education for their children. The increase of dual-national brings a change in enrolment demographics from school solely based on foreigners to a new equilibrium with more and more dual-citizen, principally American Taiwanese. In 2005 the American School in Hsinchu opened and is registered with the American Institute in Taiwan and is in the process of accreditation with the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. Kaohsiung American School was established in 1989 as an elementary school serving the needs of local and expatriate families.. 治政大the global trends of the international The increase number of dual-national students, is part of 立 schools, were nearly 80% of English-medium international schools come from the host ‧ 國. 學. country, as survey by the ISC Research Team. Even as Taiwan, and also China, is restricting. ‧. the enrolment in the international schools to foreign passport holders, the enrolment of local students had increased over the year. In fact many wealthy family or parents that lived abroad. y. Nat. er. io. sit. are able to secure a foreign passport for their kids, and the trend is increasing with globalization. This restriction however had been pointed in the past as market barrier entry for. n. al. Ch. i n U. v. foreign investor school. It was not the case in Hong Kong, South Korea and Singapore were. engchi. international school developed rapidly in the past decades. Schools run by the government, need to comply to the national curriculum and prepare students to the national exams. There are mechanism set by the government to control the quality of teaching, training and select teachers, and guarantee a level of public education in line with the population expectation and the country needs. The private school however, are more or less, under the market control. Parent’s have choice to choose between the public or private education or between different private institutions.. 23.

(34) Even if the law and the government require some guarantee in term of quality of education, some other mechanism need to be setup to monitor the school credentials. Private school, are free on the use of the curriculum and will often differentiate themselves with public education, by offering another alternative approach or educational philosophy, as Waldorf, Montessori, for the kindergarten or the primary school. World to mouth play an important role in school selection, were parents getting recommendation through friends,. 政治大 For Junior or Senior High School, 立 parent’s expectations are often link with the higher study. family, social media or parental forums.. ‧ 國. 學. Therefore the schools prepare the students for the best university and make sure that the school will be recognized by the worldwide university. In this process, the school have to. ‧. choose a curriculum that would provide the best chance for acceptance in the western. sit. y. Nat. universities. School will often offer Advanced Placement Capstone Diploma (APCD) or an. n. al. er. io. International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma.. i n U. v. The IB Global Centre located in Singapore is in charge of the IB schools in Taiwan. The. Ch. engchi. following school offer International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma in Taiwan: 1. I-Shou International School 2. Kang Chiao International School 3. Kaohsiung International School 4. Taipei American School 5. Taipei European School 6. Taipei Kuei Shan School 7. Victoria Academy. 24.

(35) Most of the international school seeking additional recognition through accreditation bodies, that can give guarantee of teaching for schools all over the world. Here is a list of accreditations. 1. Council of International Schools (CIS). A school evaluation based against internationally-agreed standard. 2. Western Association of Schools and Colleges (ACSWASC), accrediting association. 治政大 that accredits primary and Advanced, a non-profit, non-governmental organization 立 secondary schools throughout the United States and internationally and one of the six regional accrediting agencies in the United States.. 學. ‧ 國. 3.. 4. New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC), guarantee the quality of. ‧. specific programs.. 5. Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools (MSACS), peer evaluation and. y. Nat. er. io. sit. regional accreditation of public and private secondary/high schools 6. Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI), accreditation program for. n. al. Ch. i n U. v. secondary and elementary schools based on Christian philosophy of education. engchi. 7. Centre for British Teaching (CFBT), an Education Development Trust and an UK-registered charity. In addition schools can also join federations. The Federation of British International Schools in Asia (FOBISIA) stays aligned with current practices in British education, provides professional development for educators and opportunities for inter-school competitions and enrichment (sports games, Model United Nations…). For those schools that keep a strong link with their home government, some additional. 25.

(36) guarantee or framework can be in place. The Taipei American School benefit from an agreement concerning the legal status and operating privilege, sign between the American Institute in Taiwan and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States, This agreement offer some advantage as tax rate or exemptions. The French Section of the Taipei European School has signed a partnership agreement respectively with the Agency for French Education Abroad (AEFE), the German Section of the Taipei European School with the Central Agency for Schools Abroad (ZfA). Close tight between school and home. 政治大. country is often a guarantee seek by expatriate family for their children's education while. 立. travelling abroad. In addition, government often offer diplomatic support, subsidies to schools,. ‧ 國. 學. staffing or grant to students.. ‧. n. er. io. sit. y. Nat. al. Ch. engchi. 26. i n U. v.

(37) 3. Private schools around the world, and specific focus on International Schools. 3.1. International schools around the world and in Asia. The globalisation trend, accentuate in the past decades, with a raising number of expatriate. 治政 and demand for international education have led to a 大 grow up the number of international 立 schools. Most of the school offer an English-medium, Western-style education for children ‧ 國. 學. with a British or American curriculum. The Guardian Newspaper have listed some of the best. ‧. schools abroad that offer a British curriculum as the Tanglin Trust school in Singapore, the Dulwich College international school in China (Shanghai and Beijing),The Garden. y. Nat. school in Sao Paulo, to mention the top on the list9.. al. er. io. sit. international school in Kuala Lumpur, the International School of Geneva or the St Paul's. n. v i n C h (ISC Research), The International School Consultancy e n g c h i U expert consultant for international schools, indicates that the number of international schools is rising rapidly in many countries. In the 2016 Global Report on the English-medium K-12 international schools market, ISC Research indicates extensive opportunities for education suppliers looking for market expansion and diversification.. English-medium K-12 schools (which includes American schools overseas, International. 9. https://www.theguardian.com/education/2006/dec/12/publicschools.schools 27.

(38) baccalaureate schools and US independent schools abroad) has increased by 41.5% in the past years to a current total of 8,257. The number of students attending international schools is over 4.3 million; a 45.9% growth in just five years. Asia (including Western Asia; the Middle East) has seen the greatest increase in students during this time with a 55.7% growth. Asia now has 54% of all international schools (4,448) and 60% of all students (2.55 million). In addition the ISC Research forecasts that by 2026, the K-12 international school market will. 政治大. reach 16,000 schools teaching 8.75 million students, and generating a total fee income of $89 billion USD.. 立. ‧ 國. 學. The international schools are an 80% growing market, particularly in Asia, where are located 54% of all international schools (4,614) and 60 percent of all students (2.7 million).The ISC. ‧. Research identify 983 English-medium K-12 international. schools throughout South-East. sit. y. Nat. Asia teaching over 361,000 students. Three countries, Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia, lead. n. al. er. io. the region with well over 100 schools each, and Vietnam and Singapore are not far behind.. i n U. v. The Federation of British International Schools (FOBISIA) in Asia, have a wide range of. Ch. engchi. school fees. The table below is the aggregate data for all levels, and all registered school per countries. China has the highest level compare to other countries.. 28.

(39) 千. Annual School Fees converted in NT$ - 2016-17 1,200 1,000 800 600 400. 200 -. 立. 政治大. ‧ 國. 學. Figure 2: FOBISIA School Fees in Asia, converted in NT$ for 2017. ‧. School fees level depends on the operating cost that can vary with countries, with. y. Nat. er. io. sit. remuneration, tax, land rent, but are generally depends of the demand. International school environment is not very competitive and can have quasi monopolistic situation in some cities.. n. al. Ch. i n U. v. In addition as an elitist form of education, the price are quite inelastic.. engchi. Most of the students from international schools will apply to university abroad, and particularly USA, Canada or England. The Application and Admissions Statistics for the Taipei European School (TES), a FOBISIA school in Taiwan, shows a preference for those three destinations.. 29.

(40) TES University Country Admissions Class of 2015. Hong Komg 3% Taiwan 3% Australia 4%. Others 9% USA 45%. Canada 18%. 學. England 18%. ‧. ‧ 國. 立. 政治大. n. al. er. io. sit. y. Nat. Figure 3: Country of Admissions for a Class of 2015 – 65 students from the TES. i n U. Country of Admissions for a Class of 2015 University. Ch. v. e n g c h i Students applied. Students accepted. University of California Los Angles (UCLA). 21. 9. University of Toronto. 15. 11. University of Hong Kong. 9. 4. Table 4: Country of Admissions for a Class of 2015 – 65 students from the TES. 30.

(41) 3.2. Vision and criticism on private and international education. In an article published in the China Post on July 7, 2016 under the title ‘More public, less private education is needed’’10 the author criticized the current choice of wealthy families for private schools. In his point of view, well off families send their children to take advantage of private school education and enter top university and prestigious jobs, contributing to widen the gap between rich and poor by not allowing social class integration. He also criticized the. 治政 way that children are surrounded with peers from 大 same social class and have not a 立 representative view of the society when they grow up. For him if some families choose to take ‧ 國. 學. opportunities for their children for public education then at least the cost of that schooling. ‧. should not come from taxpayer money.. sit. y. Nat. An empirical research done by the UNESCO11, in 2015 compare the efficiency of the private. io. al. n. they have some interesting findings listed below:. Ch. engchi. er. sector compare to the public one. The research mostly focus on developed countries, however. i n U. v. 1. Countries that embark on privatization are convinced that the efficiency of the school system will increase in two ways: by reaching the unreached, thus improving access to education, and by improving learning outcomes by way of fostering competition. 2. Liberal view assumes that private providers operating under market discipline would provide parents with choice, and that competition would lead to ever-increasing. 10. http://www.chinapost.com.tw/editorial/2016/07/07/471440/More-public.htm. 11. http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0024/002438/243824e.pdf. 31.

(42) quality standards and also drive out of the market those operators unable to provide the service parents want 3. While state governance aims at supplying education as a public good to the population (UNESCO, 2015), the provision of education as a private good through the market results from the equilibrium between provider and consumer choice. 4. For all developing countries the business model of low-cost private schools is similar: low fees but also poor infrastructure; often multi-grade; and low-paid, young teachers. 政治大. recruited from the local community with minimum qualifications if any (Kremer &. 立. Muralidharan, 2008; Ohba, 2013) (Schirmer, Johnston, & Bernstein, 2010).. ‧ 國. 學. 5. Private schools are run for profit and must be established in areas where there is a significant demand for fee-paying educational services.. ‧. 6. Students in private schools seem to achieve better learning outcomes than their. y. Nat. sit. counterparts in government schools : lower student-teacher ratios , higher levels of. n. al. er. io. teaching activity and greater use of effective approaches to teaching in private schools,. i n U. v. higher educational achievements at private schools are mainly attributable to better. Ch. engchi. teaching conditions, such as smaller class sizes, better-qualified teaching staff, and higher parental participation. 7. As private schools are accountable to parents, head teachers are more demanding of teachers and may establish incentives schemes 8.. Private schools’ budgets are higher than public schools’ due to the receipt of tuition fees and further private funding. 9. Private school students are far more likely to come from higher socio-economic backgrounds than students at public schools. 32.

(43) 10. Pupils from lower socio-economic backgrounds have lower prospects of succeeding at private schools than pupils from higher socio-economic backgrounds.. The research concludes that private schools are a good complement of public education and tend to develop students to attend better level and success in education. In Taiwan, the MOE of education point of view on private education for K-12 level is that. 治政 their rational interest. In this framework they welcome 大 every private school, and expect more 立 growth of private school in the future. When asked about investor interest for private schools,. they believe education is a free market. Parents choice for private or public, are driven by. ‧ 國. 學. The MOE specify that even school should be for non-profit, no regulation stop them to realise. ‧. a certain level of profit. There is no clear regulation on tuition level, just regulation on how. sit. y. Nat. you can move your assets, as seen in the Private School Law article 64. In addition the MOE. al. er. io. mention that there are no students cap fort international school’s enrolment. There is also no. v. n. ratio of public/private school. In this deregulated environment they welcome any other school system, or schools.. Ch. engchi. i n U. 3.3. Distinction between the different types of private schools. The distinction between private school, international school, and school for international resident has evolved over time. This can be observed at the global scale and particularly in Asia. The emergences of private school in the middle of last century were dedicated to supply the lack of public school, or the Secondary High School was not part of the compulsory. 33.

(44) system. The private school then became elitist school; choose by the upper income families, in order to give access to their children to the best university and best jobs. The international school aimed first at the expatriate population and had few or no local population. Local population that immigrated to USA or other western countries, returned later on to their home country when the economic condition were favourable to them. This population was in demand of international education for their children. International school. 治政大 30-40% foreigner and the rest as dual-national. 立. for foreign residents started to have a shift in their enrolment from 100% foreign students, to. ‧ 國. 學. With growing demand for western-style and English-medium education, due to globalisation and mobility of students and workers, private international bilingual school opened and aims. ‧. at local population.. y. Nat. sit. Nowadays those private schools that integrate Chinese and English are on the similar market. n. al. er. io. segment as the international school for foreign resident and attract high-income family in. i n U. v. research of international education, and access to best university in the world for their children.. Ch. engchi. We can conclude that the current distinction for private education should fall in one of those three categories: 1. Private kindergarten and primary school. Those schools often offer alternative education approach, taking care of individual students needs. 2. Private secondary school, also vocational schools, were the curriculum is taught in Chinese, and with tuition fees ranging from low to medium 3. Private international school and school for foreign resident, with high tuition fees. 34.

(45) 4. Education system in China and Singapore. 4.1. Singapore education system. Singapore is a city state, with a population of 5.3 million people, concentrated on as 700 km2 island in South-East Asia. It is one of the leading countries in mathematics in science. 政治大 aged 15-year-old masters the basics that every student should know before leaving school, 立. according to the most recent PISA OECD report. The data show that 90% of Singaporean. ‧ 國. 學. which is not the case of most of the Countries.. The PISA report, mention the key of success, resides in the economic development of the. ‧. country, the need of high skilled workers and the government effort to promote quality. y. Nat. sit. education. Nowadays they have reduced their curriculum and focus on some core values, as. n. al. er. io. well as create a syllabus that help a student’s develop the requisite competencies. The. i n U. v. ministry of Education consider the teacher as their most valuable assets, provides training and. Ch. engchi. expect the best professionalism of provide attractive compensation. The main language of instruction in Singapore is English, which was officially designated the first language within the local education system in 1987. English is the first language learned by half the children by the time they reach preschool age and becomes the primary medium of instruction by the time they reach primary school. In 1966, a bilingual education policy introduced by the Government required all schools to teach English either as a first or second language. The 2001 syllabus made it clear that 'pupils need to know how to communicate fluently, appropriately and effectively in internationally acceptable English'.. 35.

(46) In general, classroom instructions in Singapore have the following characteristics:. 1. Highly-scripted and uniform across all levels and subjects. Teaching is coherent, fit-for-purpose and pragmatic. 2. Drawing on a range of pedagogical traditions, both Eastern and Western. 3. Primarily focuses on coverage of the curriculum, the transmission of factual and procedural knowledge.. 政治大. 4. Preparing students for end-of-semester and national high stakes examinations.. 立. 5. Strongly emphasise mastery of specific procedures and the ability to represent. ‧ 國. 學. problems clearly, especially in mathematics.. 6. Classroom talk is teacher-dominated and generally avoids extended discussion.. ‧. Nat. sit. y. Singaporean teachers only make limited use of “high leverage” or unusually effective. n. al. er. io. teaching practices that contemporary educational research regards as critical to the. i n U. v. development of conceptual understanding and “learning how to learn”.. Ch. engchi. Private schools are supervised by the committee for Private Education (CPE) under the new Private Education Act. Private schools are numerous but expensive. We can raise the question of why the parents will choose a private education as the public education is excellent from the PISA result. The main reason is that Singaporean chooses the public education. However the private school the more popular choice among expats with kids, and it is estimated that 40% of the total population are foreigner’s expatriates. Also As a foreigner it may be very difficult to get admission in the local schools, the child can only get admission once all the citizens have been given admission to the school. Even if the enrolment is successful the. 36.

(47) school may not be in a convenient location.. 4.2. China private education overview. China private education has evolved from a single industry to an industry with multiple segments.. More and more capital has been invested, and government have implement. 治政大 looking for alternative forms of investor, and respond to the growing demand from parents 立 education.. policies and reforms to accompany its development. Favourable policies have attracted. ‧ 國. 學. Chinese education differs from western education as it is designed to solve different problems.. ‧. Western education is apt to cater individual student as often opposed to the Chinese education. sit. y. Nat. based on more collective teaching. In this point it have many similitude with Taiwan. A brief. al. er. io. study of the private education in China will give us a more clear comprehension of the. v. n. possible development in Taiwan, as its share many cultural and philosophical vision about education.. Ch. engchi. i n U. 4.2.1. A brief review of education institutions in China until the reforms period. China had a long history of private education. The first private school was established by Confucius 2,500 years ago. His rich education practice still influences China until today. ). The private education prospers with school teaching classical Confucianism canons during the Warring period (475-221 B.C) and Han Dynasty (206 B.C 220 A.D.). During the Sui Dynasty. 37.

(48) (581-618) candidates for the state bureaucracy were selected through The Imperial Service Examination. This system was adopted to select talents for governing the country. To prepare the examination, students were prepared in private schools. Vocational and academic learning were further developed during the Tang Dynasty (618-907). We also can mention about the shuyuan, private establishments build in a quiet environment where scholars could engage in studies. Another kind of education form was the sishu, in which the teacher was expected to tailor the curriculum to suit almost every student. This form of teaching still operate in rural. 政治大. china until 1949 and differs from the collective education develop afterwards.. 立. In the early 1900’s some Chinese educator, trained abroad, bring western influence to the. ‧ 國. 學. private school. That tendency was also emphasised with the western missionary who. ‧. established school in china at the same period.. sit. y. Nat. Private education was the main form of teaching; however Emperors also controlled. er. io. education systems. During the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) Shuyuan were placed under the. al. v i n C h of preparing U academies were created for the purpose e n g c h i students for the Imperial Examination. n. government control. Under the Qing Dynasty (1644 to 1912), thousands of Shuyuan. However, after the Opium war (1840’s) reformers call on educational development to end up the imperial examination system. They asked for implementation of modern education, with western science, vocational schools, technology and higher education. Before the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) seized power in 1949, the private school represented 40% of school in china. Most of private school soon disappears after that and gave place to the development of a central state education implemented by the government. By the end of the Cultural Revolution in 1976 most of private schools were shut down. The. 38.

(49) party drew the principles of basic education that was expended in the 1950’s, to serve education of farmer and workers. The egalitarian ideal, collective and national ideologies were predominant in the teachings. We can also mention that under the CCP education reforms the literacy rate raised from a merely 20% in 1959 to 85% in 2001. Today the rate is estimated above 96% by the UNESCO. All form of private education hasn’t however been totally eradicated in China at that time. In. 治政大run school where supported by the people education run by the people. This form of private 立 government. During the 1980’s the party starts remunerate the teachers as public servants.. fact the CCP establish the Minban (literally people run primary school) with an approach of. ‧. ‧ 國. 學. 4.2.2. Deng Xiaoping South China Tour and the booming of private education in. er. io. sit. y. Nat. china. al. v i n C oriented economy experimentation hineShenzhen asi well n g c h U as the opening of the economy to n. In 1992, Deng went to his historical tour, in Southern china, were he reaffirm the market. individual initiatives. The same year Guangya Primary School set up in Sichuan opened Headed by Qing Guangya (Mr. Qing). It was the first of this kind, with high tuition fee, fancy and modern school equipment.. It was soon follow by other school based on the same model or implementing. more moderate fees. A year later; in 1993, for the first time the Chinese Education Reform and Development outlines policies for the development of non-government school in China. Numerous private. 39.

(50) schools emerged during the wave of decentralization in public education and the need of the government to find other ways to finance education. We can note that under Deng Xiaoping, government policies favoured economic efficiency, without totally subtract the strong national ideology and social equalities goals, prevalent in the CCP.. 政治大. 4.2.3. A definition of private school in China. 立. ‧ 國. 學. In the common understanding private school refer to school run by individuals or privately own or set up by non-governmental organisation. In China to have a better understanding of. ‧. what a private school stand for, we need to take on account three criteria to better reflect the. sit. y. Nat. reality of it. Those criteria are the ownership, the funding and the school management.. er. io. Therefore a school which is owned and fund by individuals, and also manage without. al. v i n C supervision of theUgovernment. under h engchi. n. supervision of government can be considered as private school. Many school however, have private ownership but still. Those schools are not. considering for some scholar are perfectly private school. Furthermore by the mid 90’s the Chinese government allowed some public schools to be contracted by individuals for management. Another aspect is the profit or non-profit goal of these private institutions. Private schools, that market and profit driven, have been at the centre of polemics and legislative debate over three decades.. 40.

(51) 4.2.4. Type of private school and educational institution in China. Different type of school in china Financing. Government school. People-Run school. Government. Traditional government school. People-run government assisted. (often receive financial support from community groups or individuals). school People-run school with government school People-run school owned by government (converted school). Government-run people assisted. Stand-alone people-run school. school. Rural people-run school. 政治大. 學. sit. io. n. er. Nat. al. y. ‧. ‧ 國. 立. People (community). Private (individual/group). Private school. Ch. engchi. Government-run privately assisted school. i n U. v. Private schools. Table 5: Different type of school in china – from Mun C. Tang (2001). We can add to this table, the international private school that were encourage by the state for use of quality foreign education resources in private school run in china. The number of these schools had increased after china had joined the WTO in December 2001.. 41.