Preschool Education
Education is not compulsory for children aged between two and six years old. Parents of
children in this age-group usually send them to kindergartens. In SY 2009-2010, 182,049 children
were enrolled in 3,154 kindergartens. To ensure that children from low-income families
(including those from indigenous areas) have an opportunity to receive the same basic education, the MOE launched a financial support programme across
Taiwan in 2004.
To better take care of people in need, children from outlying areas and aboriginal townships are eligible for kindergarten tuition subsidies starting from September 2010.
Also, children who go to public kindergartens in those areas will be free of charge.
Primary Education
Elementary education is compulsory for all children from age 6 to 12, and almost 100 percent of children in this age group attend school. At the end of July 2004 Taiwan had more than 2,600 elementary schools, with vast majority being state-run schools. Elementary schoolchildren learn subjects such as language , science, arithmetic, civics, arts, music and physical education.
Secondary Education
Junior high school, which is part of the nine-year compulsory education program, lasts three years. Besides continuing with learning of subjects taught in elementary schools, students also study a foreign language , for example English, and other subjects, such as mathematics, biology, chemistry, physics, and history. Those attending senior high school for three years have three main options upon graduation: move on to a university or college; attend a two-year junior college; or enroll in a four-year institute of technology after one year of work- provided that the candidates have passed the relevant qualifying examinations.
Vocational schools are three-year institutions similar to normal high schools. Unlike normal high schools, they place a heavier emphasis on practical and vocational skills. Incoming students typically choose a single concentration, such as electrical engineering, civil engineering, computer science or business.
University Education
To gain admission at universities and colleges, students from senior high schools and vocational schools have to sit for a joint university entrance examination. Competition is very stiff. Among the courses offered in higher education are liberal arts, law, business, physical sciences, engineering and industrial management, life sciences, biological engineering, agriculture, medicine, and applied agricultural sciences. In the academic year of 2004-05 there were more than 142 universities and colleges in Taiwan.
As of 2006 Taiwan has a high literacy rate of 96.1 percent. Most illiterate people belong to the older generation. Some did not attend school because of disabilities. Special educational policies now cater to this segment of the population-special schools serve the needs of the physically and mentally challenged, and supplementary schools provide education for adults who missed out on schooling in their earlier years.
Preschool Education
Education is not compulsory for children aged between two and six years old. Parents of
children in this age-group usually send them to kindergartens. In SY 2009-2010, 182,049 children
were enrolled in 3,154 kindergartens. To ensure that children from low-income families
(including those from indigenous areas) have an opportunity to receive the same basic education, the MOE launched a financial support programme across
Taiwan in 2004.
To better take care of people in need, children from outlying areas and aboriginal townships are eligible for kindergarten tuition subsidies starting from September 2010.
Also, children who go to public kindergartens in those areas will be free of charge.
Primary Education
Elementary education is compulsory for all children from age 6 to 12, and almost 100 percent of children in this age group attend school. At the end of July 2004 Taiwan had more than 2,600 elementary schools, with vast majority being state-run schools. Elementary schoolchildren learn subjects such as language , science, arithmetic, civics, arts, music and physical education.
Secondary Education
Junior high school, which is part of the nine-year compulsory education program, lasts three years. Besides continuing with learning of subjects taught in elementary schools, students also study a foreign language , for example English, and other subjects, such as mathematics, biology, chemistry, physics, and history. Those attending senior high school for three years have three main options upon graduation: move on to a university or college; attend a two-year junior college; or enroll in a four-year institute of technology after one year of work- provided that the candidates have passed the relevant qualifying examinations.
Vocational schools are three-year institutions similar to normal high schools. Unlike normal high schools, they place a heavier emphasis on practical and vocational skills. Incoming students typically choose a single concentration, such as electrical engineering, civil engineering, computer science or business.
University Education
To gain admission at universities and colleges, students from senior high schools and vocational schools have to sit for a joint university entrance examination. Competition is very stiff. Among the courses offered in higher education are liberal arts, law, business, physical sciences, engineering and industrial management, life sciences, biological engineering, agriculture, medicine, and applied agricultural sciences. In the academic year of 2004-05 there were more than 142 universities and colleges in Taiwan.
As of 2006 Taiwan has a high literacy rate of 96.1 percent. Most illiterate people belong to the older generation. Some did not attend school because of disabilities. Special educational policies now cater to this segment of the population-special schools serve the needs of the physically and mentally challenged, and supplementary schools provide education for adults who missed out on schooling in their earlier years.