The ribbon-cutting ceremony of the 2022 Bilingual Education Exhibition in Kaohsiung. Kaohsiung City Mayor Chen Chi-Mai (second from the right), Deputy Minister of Ministry of Education TSAI, CHING-HUA. President Mei-Hua Chen of Wenzao University (third from the left), Dean Yu Jane Chen of Office of International and Cross-strait Cooperation (third from the right) were invited to the stage. Source/ Office of International and Cross-strait Cooperation
In recent years, Wenzao Ursuline University of Languages has followed the government’s 2030 bilingual policy by cooperating with the Education Bureau of Kaohsiung City Government and implementing the “International Student Exchange Program”. In 2021, we trained over 20 international students and successfully held bilingual cooperative teaching programs in Kaohsiung’s 18 junior high schools and elementary schools. In 2022, the duration of the project was extended to one academic year and the range of service to 20 schools. By interacting with junior high school and elementary school students, our students can learn different languages and cultures.
Kaohsiung City Government held the “2022 Bilingual Education Exhibition” at SKM Park, and invited 72 schools to participate, which not only includes kindergartens, elementary schools, junior high schools, senior high schools, and vocational schools in Kaohsiung, but also multiple universities such as Wenzao University, in order to show the accomplishment of Kaohsiung’s bilingual education. In the opening ceremony, Kaohsiung City Mayor Chen Chi-Mai mentioned that an additional 217 million NTD has been added to this year’s budget. Moreover, the number of foreign teacher trainers will also be increased, from 203 people this year to 600 people next year, in order to let every school have the opportunity for bilingual education. Mayor Chen Chi-Mai also thanked the universities in Kaohsiung for their help in training international students to become teaching assistants in 51 junior high schools and elementary schools, and provided 48 hours’ bilingual interaction courses within one academic year. This is the biggest support to Kaohsiung City in the bilingual teaching field.
Due to the great accomplishment of the bilingual project, President Margaret Chen and Yu Jane Chen, the Dean of International and Cross-strait Cooperation Office of Wenzao University were invited to the ribbon-cutting ceremony. After the opening ceremony, President Margaret Chen also stayed to experience the event personally, encouraging the exchange students who joined this project.
Besides the showcase of bilingual education exhibition, bilingual interactive experience games and dynamic performances were also held in this event. Nearly 20 foreign students from Southeast Asia and the European region participated in the Taiwan-Europe Connections Program, led by the Dean Yu Jane Chen of Wenzao University. Together, the participants planned six different mini-games, and used English to interact with the visitors. By playing the trivia quizzes, international students showed the characteristics of their countries and regions, and therefore combined both entertainment and education in their activities. One of the international students who participated was Fransiska, an Indonesian who shared Indonesian cuisine and culture with the school during her time as a teaching assistant, which left students very impressed. In the bilingual exhibition, she wore Indonesian traditional garments and played Indonesian instruments, providing a great experience of Indonesian culture to all the audiences, greatly impressing all the visitors.
