U.S.-Taiwan Education Initiative

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U.S.-Taiwan Education Initiative

The U.S.-Taiwan Education Initiative is aimed at expanding access to Chinese and English language instruction, while safeguarding academic and intellectual freedom. Specifically, the Initiative highlights and enhances Taiwan’s critical role in providing Chinese instruction both to Americans and to people around the world. We welcome you to explore opportunities to become a Chinese language instructor or to study Chinese in Taiwan.

2023

U.S.-Taiwan Education Initiative Factsheet 2023 Mandarin Education Symposium The Third High-Level Dialogue

U.S.-Taiwan Education Initiative Factsheet 2023

Outcomes of the Third High-Level Dialogue on February 22, 2023 and U.S.-Taiwan Education Initiative progress to date

Mandarin Education Symposium

In collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Foundation for Scholarly Exchange, AIT hosted the third annual Mandarin Education Symposium under the U.S.-Taiwan Education Initiative from January 7-8, 2023.

The Third High-Level Dialogue

U.S. Department of State Bureau of East Asian and Pacific (EAP) Affairs Deputy Assistant Secretary Camille Dawson traveled to Taiwan for the Third High-Level Dialogue on the U.S.-Taiwan Education Initiative on February 22. The Dialogue highlighted the importance of cooperation on international education among likeminded, democratic partners in support of free and open education, free of coercion and censorship.

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2022

Building Sister School Partnerships Symposium MOFA Promotes U.S. Government-funded Scholarship Taiwan Officials Meet at AIT/W Taiwan-U.S. Higher Education Joint Signing Ceremony U.S. Participation at the Taiwan Pavilion Teaching Chinese as a Second Language Symposium (2022)

Building Sister School Partnerships Symposium

As part of the U.S.-Taiwan Education Initiative, AIT and the City of Taoyuan co-organized the “U.S. Education Initiative Symposium: Building Sister School Partnerships” on November 14-15, 2022.

U.S. Education Initiative Symposium Building Sister School Partnerships

MOFA Promotes U.S. Government-funded Scholarship

Following MOFA’s commitments to expanding the number of the State Department scholarships as mentioned above, MOFA organized an event for the U.S. grantees on October 7, 2022, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, AIT/T and the FSE.

Taiwan Officials Meet at AIT/W

After the completion of a series of U.S.-Taiwan Education Initiative programs in Denver, the Taiwan delegation flew to Washington D.C. to participate in education policy-focused discussions at AIT’s Washington (AIT/W) office with a number of high-ranking State Department officials including Ambassador James Moriarty, EAP PDAS Kin Moy, EAP DAS Camille Dawson, and ECA DAS Nicole Elkon.

Education Initiative Taiwan delegation to Washington DC

Taiwan-U.S. Higher Education Joint Signing Ceremony

On the sidelines of the NAFSA Conference in Denver, CO, AIT worked with the Ministry of Education to organize an array of events to promote the U.S.-Taiwan Education Initiative. On June 1, 2022, U.S. Department of State Deputy Assistant Secretary Camille Dawson delivered opening remarks at the Taiwan-U.S. Joint signing ceremony where nine of Taiwan’s top universities signed agreements with nine U.S. universities to increase educational exchange opportunities, which had provided even more scholarship opportunities for American students to study in Taiwan.

U.S. Participation at the Taiwan Pavilion

In support of the U.S.-Taiwan Education Initiative, the State Department’s Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs Camille Dawson visited the Taiwan booth at the annual NAFSA conference opening on May 31.

Teaching Chinese as a Second Language Symposium (2022)

On January 15 and 16, 2022, AIT, the Ministry of Education (MOE), and the Foundation for Scholarly Exchange (Fulbright Taiwan) co-hosted the U.S.-Taiwan Education Initiative’s symposium titled “Teaching Chinese as a Second Language.”

2022 – cont'd

The Second High-Level Dialogue U.S.-Taiwan Education Initiative Factsheet 2022

The Second High-Level Dialogue

AIT and Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs hosted the second high-level dialogue under the U.S.-Taiwan Education Initiative to reaffirm both sides’ commitment to deepening cooperation on international education, particularly in the area of English and Mandarin Chinese language education. The dialogue, conducted both in-person and virtually, was led by U.S. Department of State Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink and the Deputy Secretary-General of Taiwan’s National Security Council Szu-chien Hsu. During the two-hour dialogue, both sides reviewed the achievements and efforts made under the U.S.-Taiwan Education Initiative to date and exchanged ideas for future collaboration.

U.S.-Taiwan Education Initiative Factsheet 2022

2021

Forming Global Partnerships in Education Symposium Taiwan Huayu BEST MOU signing on Fulbright-MOC Grant Bilingual Education Symposium Teaching Chinese as a Second Language Symposium (2021)

Forming Global Partnerships in Education Symposium

AIT Director Sandra Oudkirk, Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Joseph Wu, and representatives from the British Council, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada participated in the “U.S.-Taiwan Education Initiative – Forming Global Partnerships in Education” Symposium, hosted by AIT in partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and National Chung Cheng University in Chiayi. This event, the third and final international education symposium in this series, and the U.S.-Taiwan Education Initiative will not only help more Americans come to Taiwan to learn Mandarin, but will also help Taiwan achieve its bilingual education goal in 2030.

Education Initiative Symposium_forming global partnerships_a

Taiwan Huayu BEST

U.S. Department of State officials, Taiwan’s Representative to the United States Bi-khim Hsiao, and Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Chicago Director General Johnson Sen Chiang participated in an MOU signing ceremony for the Taiwan Huayu BEST (Bilingual Exchanges of Selected Talent) Program in Chicago, which will promote Mandarin learning by facilitating teacher and student exchanges between Taiwan and American universities. This program is a part of the U.S.-Taiwan Education Initiative and is another example of how the United States and Taiwan are working in collaboration to deepen our people-to-people ties!

MOU signing on Fulbright-MOC Grant

In August 2021, FSE and the Taiwan Ministry of Culture signed an MOU to establish a new grant program aimed at increasing non-academic arts exchange.

Bilingual Education Symposium

In March 2021, to support the U.S.-Taiwan Education Initiative, former Director Brent Christensen delivered remarks at the National Sun Yat-sen University (NSYSU) in Kaohsiung, along with Education Minister PAN Wen-chung, NSYSU President CHENG Ying-Yao and Kaohsiung City Mayor CHEN Chi-mai.

Teaching Chinese as a Second Language Symposium (2021)

On January 16, 2021, AIT kicked off the first activity of the new U.S.-Taiwan Education Initiative: Teaching Chinese as a Second Language Symposium in collaboration with the Foundation for Scholarly Exchange. The symposium was attended by 200 Taiwan Chinese language teachers, 60 of whom are Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistants (FLTA) that were going to the United States in the summer of 2021.

2020

The Launch of the U.S.-Taiwan Education Initiative The U.S.-Taiwan Education Initiative Working Group Meet

The Launch of the U.S.-Taiwan Education Initiative

As AIT Director Christensen explained: “The Initiative is aimed at expanding access to Chinese and English language instruction, while safeguarding academic freedom. Specifically, the Initiative will highlight and enhance Taiwan’s role in providing Chinese language instruction to Americans and to people around the world.

Group Photo at U.S.-Taiwan Education Initiative

The U.S.-Taiwan Education Initiative Working Group Meet

AIT, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), Ministry of Education, and the Overseas Community Affairs Council kicked off the first U.S.-Taiwan Education Initiative Working Group Meeting, co-chaired by AIT Deputy Director Greene and Deputy Secretary-General of the National Security Council, Dr. HSU Szu-Chien. Representatives from both sides shared updates on efforts to expand existing English and Chinese language exchange programs and explored ways to support Taiwan’s Chinese language teaching as well as bilingual education policies.

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Exchange programs about the U.S.-Taiwan Education

Studying Mandarin in Taiwan Teaching Mandarin in the United States Other Opportunities in Taiwan English languages Opportunities

Studying Mandarin in Taiwan

The U.S. Department of State’s National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y) program provides critical language study overseas for U.S. high school students through full, merit-based scholarships to participate in intensive summer and academic year programs.

Teaching Mandarin in the United States

The Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant (FLTA) Program places early-career teachers of English at U.S. colleges and universities to serve as teaching assistants for U.S. students studying Mandarin. Twenty to 30 FLTAs are offered work as Mandarin teaching assistants in the US each year.

Other Opportunities in Taiwan

The MOE offers subsidies for groups of foreigners who teach Mandarin in US schools,colleges or universities to visit Taiwan for further professional training and observation.

English languages Opportunities

The English Language Fellow Program sends talented, highly qualified American TESOL professionals (with Master’s degrees) on 10-month Fellowships to academic institutions and ministries of education overseas. English Language Fellows teach English, and also facilitate teacher-training, assist with curriculum and materials development, and conduct outreach.