TAIWAN: President calls for more classes in English

Taiwan's President Ma Ying-jeou pledged to increase the international competitiveness of the country's universities and said he expected more colleges to offer courses taught in English, Mo Yan-chih reports for the Taipei Times. Ma said the government expected to double the percentage of foreign students to 2.6% in the near future.

"Higher education in Taiwan should not keep its doors closed any more. We need to promote the idea of studying in Taiwan and attract great students to Taiwan," Ma said yesterday in his weekly online speech. "If we refuse to make changes, great teachers and students will be gone and it will be more difficult for us to raise competitiveness," he said.

Ma also said the government would redouble efforts to attract foreign students. Thirty-nine of the 70 public and private universities in Taiwan offer a total of 9,350 English-speaking courses, while foreign students make up 1.3% of all college students. The government expects this proportion to double in the near future, Ma said.
Full story at the Taipei Times web site