Teacher Training with Love, True Love Forever

Nearly 400 student teachers, including students taking the teacher training programs, have joined the program initiated last summer and spread the love of Schweitzer to all parts of Taiwan by offering free in-depth academic guidance to underprivileged students in remote and urban areas. To show recognition for the dedication and concern for the underprivileged of these student teachers, Education Minister Tu Cheng-sheng personally presented the flag and encouraged student representatives from 12 universities on the program at the program initiation ceremony held last July.

According to Minister Tu, "reinforcing social concern" was one of his policies. In addition to the tangible funds and facilities, the intangible love and devotion was far more important. Teachers were the drive of education, and he wished that young teachers could disseminate love throughout the country with concern and pedagogic competence in order to help children who were in need of help.

The Practising Schweitzer: University Student Teacher Education Service Program has benefited about 900 students from 21 elementary and junior high schools in 13 counties and cities.

Minister Tu maintained, the following goals of the program have been completed with the concerted efforts of all participants over the past 6 months or so.

1. Enhancing academic achievements of underprivileged students: Thanks to the Schweitzer in Education Program, the academic performance and conduct of underprivileged students receiving the guidance have been successfully improved.
2. Reinforcing pedagogic competence of student teachers: During the program was in progress, student teachers could experience the work content as a teacher.
3. Establishing interactions for learning resources: Good interactions of learning resources have been established between universities on the program and schools in remote and urban areas benefited from the program.

Minister Tu was grateful to the universities and student teachers participating in the program for realizing the concept of "influencing life with life" and for setting up an excellent example for teacher training. He also wished that more teacher students could join the program in the future in order to devote themselves to the education for the underprivileged children in Taiwan, to disseminate love, and to pass on the spirit to Schweitzer to eternity.