“The Chinese Wisdom” article : Taiwan’s math skills and high-school education system

Yedihut Aharonot – Israel’s most popular newspaper – ran a story in December about Taiwan’s education system. The evening I was heading out to Korea, I received a phone-call from the Israeli correspondent for the newspaper in Beijing asking me what I thought of the topic. The story was initiated due to yet another decline in the Israeli position for the world math test scores rankings as opposed to Taiwan that was ranking 1st. I forwarded him to a few education related bloggers and expats.

The following is what got published. I did a quick translation of the article from Hebrew to English since there are quite a few things I want to say about this odd article and what it coveys about the Taiwanese society, but before I do so, I’ll let you read it and I invite you to share your opinions.

The Chinese Widsom

(photo from AP)

 

How did it happen that while Israeli high school students dropped in the math world rankings, Taiwan climbed to being 1st? Maybe because of this : teachers in Taiwan are guaranteed a job for life, it’s tax free, the student salute their teachers, school goes till 22:00 and students are under military discipline. Our reporter in China has been asked to do some home work on the topic.

Boaz Arad, Beijing

Israeli high-school students, as has been reported this week, are on a down trend in both internal and international math and science tests. In the prestigious TIMMS Israel went down from ranking number 19 to 24 and science related studies in Israel is getting worse. Yet, the Asian countries, headed by Taiwan with 1st place, are racing forward. What is the secret of the Taiwanese success? how does a small island with so many political, military and social problems produce the most brilliant students? and why are we, the "book nation", can’t be like them? "Yedihut Acharonot" (Ynet) has investigated the issue and found : this is how the Taiwanese system works.

Education above everything

Like many other countries in East Asia, education is a high value. About 16 percent of the annual budget goes to education. Although mandatory schooling is only till the 8th grade, 95 percent of the student have high school diplomas and continue to universities, colleges and technical schools. "The education here is so important" says Dror Weil from the Israeli representation in Taiwan, "that a newspaper can get a scoop and a frontpage headline for a faulty definition someone found in the Ministry of Education dictionary".

High salaries for teachers

Teachers earn about a 1800US$, a high salary that is comparable to the local IT industry. The minimum wage, just to compare, is about 520US$. In addition to that, most of them get annual bonuses of 2 monthly salaries and enjoy a "Steel Rice Bowl" – a guaranteed government job for life, with a fat pension and lots of holidays. Teachers teaching elementary-schools are also exempt from paying taxes, and many of them earn some pocket money in the many cram schools that open after the official school hours are over.

The teachers’ status in the Taiwanese society is as high as their salary : classes begin and end by saluting the teachers in complete silence. At the 28th of September, Confucius’ birthday, Taiwan celebrates the national "teachers’ day". Most teachers hold a masters and sometimes even a PhD degree, in addition to a teachers’ certification, and schools are required to let teachers attend further university classes for a day each week.

From morning to night

School in Taiwan starts at eight in the morning, and lasts till much later than most countries anywhere else in the world. Most students, even elementary school, don’t go home before ten at night. Most public schools shut down at 4 in the afternoon, but right after that everyone goes to a special school where they’re been taught the exact same material they’ve studied in the public school and especially help them prepare for the tests – with emphasis on English and math.

Over 17 thousand such cram schools are currently in operation nation wide, serving over 4 million students. When those shut down, around 8 at night, school’s not over. That’s when the enrichment classes begin, and when those end, they go to do their homework.

Military discipline

The school day in Taiwan opens with raising the flag and singing the national anthem, sometimes including some morning exercises. Most schools have a school uniform, and students are required to clean the classes and playgrounds. Teachers are very strict on discipline, and in many schools – although it’s been outlawed – physical punishment is exercised through hitting misbehaving students on their hands with a stick. In high schools, discipline is enforced by military officers stationed in school, in order to get the students into an "army atmosphere" before their big exams. While they’re at it, they also give them some classes in military subjects, as preparation for the Taiwan military mandatory service that awaits all boys – 14 months altogether.

 

 

Non-stop exams

The students in Taiwan spend most of their time in school preparing for exams. The most important of those – the high school and university entrance exams. The grades they get determine, more or less, their future : the ones who get high scores will be accepted to the good colleges, and will secure a better job and higher salaries in the future.

The pressure from the families and society to do well in those exams is enormous. The parents spend most of their savings on courses and private lessons for their kids, and during exams the whole family goes with the kids and stuffs them with drinks, snacks and feet massages. The pressure and competition is so fierce that 30 percent of those students in Taiwan are reported, by a recent survey, to consider committing suicide during exam preparations.

It’s all in the head

The Taiwanese system – especially math, languages and exact sciences – are based on intense repetition and memory. The students study by heart hundreds of tables and formulas, and usually can already multiple by end of 2nd grade. But some claim that this is exactly where the biggest weakness is : since they memorize so much, say the critics, they don’t really understand how to study and how to implement it and have a hard time being creative and "thinking outside the box". The latest  tests show they have a point " – the Taiwanese are perhaps number one in solving equations and proving theorems but only 17th place in formulating scientific hypotheses.

Separation of power

Although the Ministry of Education officially bans it, most school separate their students into groups of "good students" and "weak students". In the remote villages of Taiwan this becomes worse : the students go to different classes, where the best teachers are directed to the stronger students. In the big cities, like Taipei, the separation is less obvious: The weak students are seated at the back of the classroom and get no attention during class.

Girls are out

"This is not an education system, this is a filtering system" summarized <name removed>, an English teacher living in Taiwan <further details removed>. "The purpose of the system is to take away all those who can’t survive. Women, for example. How many females did you see in the Taiwanese teams for the international math competitions? very few. They’re just left out. Students here are constantly busy competing with each other, and I think this is one of the most brutal education systems in the world. My daughter was in there till the end of elementary school and since them we’ve been home schooling her. There’s no way I would have her go through this insanity."

"And still, results speak for themselves…"

"No wonder, for 12 years all they’re being taught is how to pass exams. Ofcourse they’ll get high scores, this is all they can do. Take tests. This is all they take with them when they finish school. They have no other skills. They know how solve equations, but they don’t know what’s behind them. They have no depth and understanding, they’re just playing the game. Besides, the high grades do not reflect reality. The Taiwanese are cheating, deceiving the international tests. The whole systems plays dirty. The forms are being handed to school management, that are free to distribute it to whoever they wish. Surprisingly, they give this to their strongest classes. That’s really not a fair game."

The Hebrew original is attached. Visit the newspaper’s online version at Ynet (Hebrew) and Ynet-News (English).