To meet the internationalization trend and promote second language learning, Hsinchu County Magistrate Chiu Ching-chun fully supports Hsinchu County Liou-Jia Senior High School on signing a cooperation agreement with Nacel International School System (NISS) at a ceremony on May 25. Magistrate Chiu, Liuo-Jia Senior High School, President & CEO of Nacel Frank Tarsitano, and Asia President He, Pingnan signed a bilingual teaching cooperation agreement.
After forming the first such strategic alliance in Taiwan, in the 2016 academic year the senior high school will trial full after-class English immersion teaching and hold free English camps during the summer to accelerate the international steps of Hsinchu County.
Magistrate Chiu, Liuo-Jia Senior High and Nacel CEO & President Frank Tarsitano and Asia President He, Pingnan signed a bilingual teaching cooperation agreement. To allow schools in the Hsinchu area to have more contact with international culture, upon invitation by Magistrate Chiu, Frank Tarsitano is holding summer vacation English science camps with Liou-Jia Senior High in coordination with the county government’s Summer Vacation LOHAS Summer FUN. Eight sessions will be held, each attended by 20 students with a total of 160 places. The target participants are 5th and 6th grade students from Hsinchu County. Teachers and curriculums will be provided free by NISS. The courses designed by NISS will guide students to understand the spirit of science and will be combined with environmental protection, an issue being given much attention worldwide, using recycled materials to teach and, in doing so, passing on the concept of being earth-friendly. To allow teaching resources to be fairly allocated, two sessions will be reserved for children from remote townships.
Magistrate Chu, stated that the signing of the agreement between NISS CEO & President Frank Tarsitano and Liou-Jia shows that the international linkage of 12-year compulsory education in Taiwan is inevitable; for both schools and students, laying the foundation, finding international schools and good schools early on so that students can learn about excellent culture and various different countries as they grow is a great opportunity. Schools will have an opportunity to allow first, second and third year students can go overseas to study abroad; there is also 2+1 certification, that is to say, students can be certified where they prefer. Multi-language ability is a prerequisite for internationalization. After the creation of an excellent learning environment, adjusting to different languages and cultures, students will find their own direction and better jobs.
Frank Tarsitano said that he has been to Turkey, Taiwan, and his own country, the US. He believes when he visits a country he gains a toolboxe; these three countries have given him three toolboxes and also allowed him to meet his wife and gain an understanding of the cultures and characteristics of each country.Thus, he encourages students to get to know different countries.
Liuo-Jia’s Principal Wang, Shu-lan said that, after signing the agreement with Nacel, the school’s curriculum will change. With respect to 12-year compulsory education after the adjustment in the curriculum in 2018, English-immersion courses will be provided after class, and the school will also provide university preparatory courses so students can have different choices for continuing their education. Providing World Citizen after-class English immersion courses is the first step, in future the school will continue its internationalization path. As well as Japanese, German, Spanish, and French language that are now offered as second foreign languages, the aim is to make English-immersion courses regular courses to further develop the school’s international linkage.
Nacel was established in 1957. In 2003 it established the St. Paul Preparatory School in Minnesota and went on to search for like-minded schools around the world. To present, 19 schools have joined the NISS network, in 9 countries including France, Turkey, Poland, Japan, South Korea and Vietnam. NISS provides teachers and American-style curricula to the cooperating schools and the participating students receive the same education in different countries, the network providing seamless courses. Taking Taiwan as an example, if a student completes the first year of high school in Taiwan he/she can do the second in France and the third in the US and can, on graduation, choose to apply for a university in Taiwan, France or the US and even Universities from around the world.