Department of Education, Taipei City Government

Social Education

● General Information

Social education encompasses three areas including, lifelong education, adult education, and supplementary education. The division in charge of lifelong education was formerly the art education division, which underwent reform in November 1999. Promotion of lifelong education turned a new page in that its operation now covers facilitating the establishment of community lifelong education passport, enhancement of public safety inspections on tutorial institutions, cracking down unregistered tutorial institutions, guidance and supervision of educational foundations, developing unique traits and functions of social education institutions, and enhancing education in students’ safety on the streets.

●Important Measures

1. Establish more community colleges to offer adult
education
The first community college was set up under the Muzha Junior High School and had been extremely popular. At the present, there are 12 community colleges, each operating under the respective administrative zone. All community colleges in Taipei City are BOT operated and the number of students admitted in the last decade has reached 398,617.
2. Issue the Taipei City lifelong learning passport, promoting lifelong education
The Department devotes lots of effort to consolidate close to 361 organizations, schools, and private educational resources operating under the municipal government. The municipal library is in charge of issuing the “Taipei City Lifelong Learning Passport” and quarterly periodical, “Taipei City Lifelong Learning Network News”, offering passport holders information on various educational events. Up till now, there are a total of 47,378 passport holders and 7,000 copies of periodicals being printed each quarter for distribution to readers at the municipal libraries, reading rooms, and co-publishers.
3. Outsource social work organizations to facilitate enterprise management
The management and operation of Y17 Taipei Youth Recreation Center was outsourced in a BOT project on June 15 2001. The BOT contract expired on February 29 2008 and Taipei City Government recommenced business solicitation in accordance with the Act for Promotion of Private Participation in Infrastructure Projects. The new contract was successfully signed on February 29 and the process of asset inventory handover ended on March 31.
4. Guide and manage foundations, invigorate the
development of social education
In order to consolidate the supervision of the 354 registered education fundations in Taipei City, the Department has opted for a dualistic approach for the management of the foundations through assistance and supervision. By enlisting the expertise of accounting firms to carry out financial audits and offer relevant assistance, the Department will have a grasp of the foundations’ current status in terms of organization operation, status of facilities, financial status and asset management/utilization in order to provide appropriate guidance to ensure sound financial development of the foundations.
5. Strengthen public safety inspections on tutorial institutions to protect student rights
Faithfully carrying out public safety inspections will safeguard the rights of consumers and crack down on unregistered tuition schools. There are currently 2,698 tuition institutions that are registered and supervised by the Taipei City Government.
6. Promote basic adult education to improve citizens’ basic skills
In 2006, the Department opened a total of 49 basic adult education classes at 29 schools, which include 35 junior high school and 14 new migrants classes. Adult education classes were also offered at 11 public and private senior high and vocational schools, offering a total of 134 courses and recruited 2,236 students.
7. Emphasize traditional art education in schools
Encourage elementary and junior high schools to promote traditional art on campus. Also organize joint exhibitions and shows, giving students the opportunity to demonstrate their talents while at the same time making further improvements by learning from others.
8. Promote art exchange programs and exhibitions to enhance art education
Promote multiple art development and facilitate international exchanges. The Department will organize five art competitions (music, dance, art, folk song performances and creative puppetry) for students on a yearly basis on top of the Art Carnival – The Feast of Aesthetics: Joint Performance of Student Music Bands to improve students’ creativity in artwork and carry out the objectives of art education at schools. Offer students the opportunity to participate in artwork exhibitions and encourage schools to be a part of art exchange activities and visits.
9. Offer social education services
Social education institutions operating under Taipei City include the Taipei Zoo, Taipei Astronomical Museum, Taipei Public Library, and Taipei Municipal Children’s Recreation Center. Their primary function is to spread the knowledge of lifelong education and offer diverse recreational facilities. The aim is to help citizens develop proper leisure habits and interest in reading.
10. Expand the number of reading rooms and library branches to cultivate civilians’ interest in reading
The Taipei Public Library has a collection of over 5.4 million volumes (copies) of books with each citizen practically entitled to 2 copies of books. An average of 6.76 million volumes (copies) of books are borrowed with a total of 11 million visitors-times each year. In addition to the head library, there are 41 branches, 11 reading rooms and 2 “Smart Libraries” across 12 administrative zones.

●Future Prospects

1. Assist social education institutions to effectively manage their business operations that are centered on school teaching and community learning in order to offer the city higher quality social education services.
2. Consolidate private resources, increase the rate and scope of outsourcing social education institutions to private organizations to meet the call for social participation.
3. Plan senior education and consolidate existing resources to offer senior residents in Taipei City more opportunities for lifelong learning so as to improve the quality of their lives.
4. Plan the construction of Taipei Children’s New Paradise in Shilin District.

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The exhibition of the Taipei City Community college

To promote the traditional art education in elementary schools and junior high schools

Evening school for the adults