Belgium’s French-speaking Ministry of Education has Policy Exchanges with Local Governments in Taiwan

Mr. Gérard Alard, Director of the Directorate-General for Compulsory Education of the French speaking Community of Belgium, visited Taiwan from November 12 to November 17 at the invitation of the Ministry of Education. He took this opportunity to visit several high schools in different parts of Taiwan and to meet with high-ranking officials at the Ministry of Education and local education departments.

On November 14 he visited Keelung Municipal Anle Senior High School and the Keelung City Department of Education to learn about Taiwan’s national and local education policies and counseling of students to prevent them dropping out of school. Keelung City focuses on providing multiple learning opportunities, improving the rate of reintegration into education, and using interdepartmental resources for remedial education. Keelung Municipal Anle Senior High School also works to tackle associated problems with home visits and counsellors, and by stimulating and motivating students by offering attractive courses. Director Alard confirmed that his country has a similar approach to the problem of students dropping out of school. He was very interested in future policy exchanges to study developments in related issues in both countries. 

On November 15, Director Alard visited Taichung First Senior High School, which is known for its excellent performance in science competitions and its internationalization efforts. The school offers language courses in Chinese, Japanese, English, and French. It has been developing its international ties for 15 years now and has several sister schools overseas. Takeshi Kudo, Director of Takatsuki High School in Japan, which is affiliated to Osaka Medical University, was also present. For the last three years, a group of about 100 teachers and students from his school have visited Taichung First Senior High School for academic and cultural exchanges.

The school staff were happy to talk about their teaching methods, curriculum development, and collaboration with universities. Director Alard considers the school exemplary and hopes to match it with a school in Belgium to further mutual understanding and improve learning outcomes. 
Director Alard was highly impressed by his meetings with local education officials and school staff, and he is looking forward to continuing policy exchanges, as well as establishing academic collaborations between schools in Belgium and Taiwan. 

Photo:Mr. Gérard Alard with Keelung City officials and the Anle Senior High School team.