Dr. Lu Mu-lin 

Vice Minister of Ministry of Education 

It is my sincere pleasure to have this opportunity, on behalf of the Ministry of Education to welcome you to the 13^th International Symposium and Book Fair on English Teaching. It is my understanding that each year, this event continues to attract many international speakers, along with well-known educators, speakers and participants from Taiwan. Therefore, I would like to congratulate the organizers and their staff, for their outstanding efforts, in order to make this year's symposium and book fair, a reality for so many people. 

The Ministry of Education has a strong commitment to bring education in Taiwan to international standards. This commitment means that our students must be knowledgeable and prepared, especially in the areas of English language proficiency, along with having experiences within other cultures in order to gain a better understanding of what it means to live in diverse and multicultural societies. 

Raising the English Language Proficiency levels for Taiwan students is a high priority for the Ministry of Education. For example, discussions are underway to encourage university and college students to successfully pass the required levels on the English Proficiency Exam (GEPT), before their dates of graduation.

Another example of how the Ministry is striving to support Taiwan students is through our new primary education English curriculum. As you know, beginning next year, English will be taught to all primary school students in the third grade.  

However, these priorities and goals cannot be successful without our teachers. Effective teachers are the crucial keys for improving students' achievement levels. A substantial body of research has connected teachers' preparations and skills to student outcomes. Therefore, the Ministry of Education is also placing great emphasis on the development of teachers within the English teaching profession. We would like to encourage our teachers to receive as much English language training as possible, in order to raise their levels of proficiency.   

Each year, the Ministry of Education selects 20 primary school English language teachers and 20 high school English language teachers to receive intensive English language teacher training abroad. Opportunities such as these will support our commitment to bring our students and the level of education, for Taiwan to acceptable international standards and we would like to encourage our teachers to take advantage of them. 

Therefore, this 13^th International Symposium and Book Fair on English Teaching is very important. First, it will provide opportunities for our teachers to exchange their experiences and expertise with each other. Second, it will allow teachers, student and guests to share information about promising practices for the classroom. Third, it will make available the latest strategies and research for effective English language learning and teaching. 

In closing, I would like to thank all our international and Taiwan speakers, presenters, teachers, students and guests for participating in this most notable event. I would also like to wish this symposium and book fair much success. 

Thank you very much.