The Ministry of Education and the U.S. Oklahoma State Department of Education recently renewed a memorandum of understanding on language education cooperation as part of ongoing government efforts to strengthen people-to-people exchanges between Taiwan and the U.S.
According to the MOE, the pact is the second extension of a three-year agreement first concluded by the two sides in 2014 and will remain in effect until year-end 2023.
Under the MOU, Oklahoma officials will work with Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Houston to recruit English instructors for schools in Taiwan, while the MOE will arrange for Mandarin counterparts to teach at institutions in the U.S. state.
The MOE cited 14 Mandarin teaching assistants from Taiwan having worked at Terra Verde Discovery School in Norman, Oklahoma, as one successful example of the collaboration. So far the MOE has concluded similar pacts with 15 states, including Arkansas, Michigan, Ohio and Washington.
The ministry said the pact is a key component in the government’s plan to transform Taiwan into a bilingual country by 2030 with the aim of affording the people greater opportunity to participate in the international community. The initiative spans core areas including government procurement procedures, investment and tourism, according to the Cabinet-level National Development Council. (SFC-E)
Taiwan Today at ttonline@mofa.gov.tw