The Education Division in Paris Works on Sustainable Bilateral Ties between Taiwan and French High Schools -Ministry of Education Republic of China (Taiwan)

The Education Division in Paris Works on Sustainable Bilateral Ties between Taiwan and French High Schools

Date: 2014-01-30

On January 27 the Education Division in Paris received students and teachers from the Affiliated Senior High School of National Kaohsiung Normal University (NKNUASHS), led by their principal Li Chin-Yang, and from Lycée Polyvalent Beaupré d'Haubourdin, led by their principal Pascal Colleu. This is the second year that these two schools have undertaken a two-week exchange. The Taiwanese students were well looked after. They stayed with host families, and various arrangements were made for visits to local schools, the city hall of Haubourdin, and to museums. Furthermore, the students also take part in different workshops, in which they can work together and communicate with their French peers.

Ambassador Michel Ching-long Lu of the Taipei Representative Office in France opened the reception with a presentation on the development of bilateral relations between the two countries, and he encouraged all the students to develop competitive skills with an international perspective. Meichen Lu, Director of the Education Division, provided information on scholarships to study in Taiwan and the Test of Chinese as a Foreign Language. This will be conducted at six university test centers across France on March 29, and she encouraged the French students to undertake it. Dr. Joël Bel Lassen, the French Ministry of Education’s Inspector-General of Chinese Teaching, pointed out the number of French students learning Chinese at the secondary level reached 37,000 in the 2013 academic year. He expressed his expectations that students exchanges which are clearly related to learning Chinese would enjoy sustainable development. Mr. Colleu also emphasized the importance that France attaches to potential opportunities in the Chinese-speaking world, and confirmed that he will continue to promote Chinese learning at his school. Li Chin-Yang from NKNUASHS then encouraged all the young people present to observe, contemplate, and learn about each other's culture, and to promote Taiwan to the wider world.