Living in South Africa, one cannot escape the harsh realities of poverty, if you care to notice those kinds of things. Unfortunately, many don't and it's the "nouveau riche" expats living here in Taiwan who irritate me the most! Firstly, it is they who know least about what it means to be "broke" or I really can't "afford it." Yet, in the very next breath, they are boasting about their new iPods, cameras and notebooks they have recently bought at 3C. It disgusts me to hear how they cannot get bye when you know perfectly well what they are earning. I hear less whinging from an unemployed casual laborer you find on the corner of Warwick Avenue and Smith Street when you ask them, "Kunjani?" (isiZulu for "How are you?") Expats have a lot to be thankful for living here in Taiwan away from what ever it was that brought them here.
I have been living in Taiwan with my wife and kids for over three years. We have several kids and sometime it feels like I have to perform a miracle to feed the multitudes. My better half is a Domestic Diva (aka stay at home Mom)and we homeschool our children for our own beliefs and reasons. Financially we are very, actually extremely careful with our cash, as we all have to be, but I sometimes really wonder if other people really understand the value of money here in Taiwan. Or do they really appreciate the fact that sometimes their Chinese co-working teacher who has three times the work experience earns less than half their salary. I am sure for most of us, we do. I have just seen many starving people living on less then a dollar (US) a day and it breaks my heart to see people having to grovel even just for a glass of clean drinking water.. But do you hear them complaining as bitterly as many expats earning in excess of NT$60 000 sometimes being double income families!
But I know at the bottom line, I think most of us really do appreciate the privilege it is to be halfway around the world earning a junior executive's salary for teaching a bunch of kids, some of who don't even want to learn English but are forced to. To those "nouveau riche" expats who do not appreciate Taiwan for the lifestyle and value it offers them and constantly criticize Taiwan, go home! Negative energy can be catchy and tends to affect too many young travelers who do not fully understand their responsibility to the kids they teach. And for those 'English Teachers' from Northern European countries and that includes Russia, be grateful that your English is better than those that you teach. On that note, from an English perspective, one cannot help chuckle when listening to students who have clearly been previously taught by someone with a French, English or Afrikaans accent needless to mention American accent. I suppose surviving in the 21st Century is about knowing the value of money and how to go about retrieving it utilizing every possible resource that exists, including your English speaking abilities no matter how good or bad.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Do we have a choice? by Jason Tonkin
To be truthful when asked about the "beauty" and "magnificence" of Taiwan from someone local who clearly sees it as such, as a South African expat I can only try my best to change the subject because how does one measure this "beauty" and "magnificence" by comparison to previous experience. The breath taking Drakensberg mountain range spanning the eastern flank of South Africa. The magnificence of the Great St. Lucia wetland situated on the Northern Kwa Zulu Natal coast. Taiwan has it's own beauty that stretches from North to South, East to West but all this seems to be tarnished by over development and lack of aesthetical value.
Traveling North along the No.1 from Hsinchu to Taoyuan, one cannot miss the beauty of the dense indigenous tropical bush that hugs each mountain slope. One can only begin to imagine the biodiversity, animal and insect life that are endemic to Taiwan and this region. But all what you can imagine is lost as you become bombarded by billboard advertisements that mean absolutely nothing especially to me as a foreigner unable to read Chinese. It seems that the years of industrialization and capitalization has been only to serve one purpose - to provide employment for Taiwan's population, to create a wealthy middle class and a super rich aristocracy. This has been done at the expense of the environment and the people themselves.
For those who do value the beauty and splendor of any natural environment, Taiwan certainly does offer a rich diversity of options to choose from. From the magnificent mountain peaks towering high above the clouds at an elevation of almost 4000m, to the sandy white beaches of Kenting harboring a diverse subtropical vegetation including palm and banana trees and even sugar cane that can be juiced for you on the roadside. Diving off Kenting or Green Island offers a plethora of aquatic and undersea life not to mention an interesting seabed made up from thousands of years of earth movement and volcanic activity. The Tunnel of Nine Turns offers you a spectacular example how mother nature sculpts her landscape with finesse and precision using water to express herself with passion making Toroko Gorge a true wonder of the world.
As the world becomes over populated, so does Taiwan. With consumerism spiraling out of control, Taiwan with all its advances and technologies helps to perpetuate this worldwide phenomenon. We need to reestablish our value systems and decide what is more important to us. Having those fascinating little 21st century gadgets being manufactured from a factory nestled in amongst beautiful trees or being able to drive along the freeways with unobstructed visions of the beauty and splendor of what the natural environment offers us, is a freedom of choice we are losing fast. We all have to hold ourselves accountable to our grand children, being able to offer them a plausible reason why they cannot drive from Hsinchu to Taipei without being harassed by big, ugly billboard advertising. Maybe we should just be submissive and just accept what "big corporates" throw at us and just be thankful we have a job?
Isn't this the feudal system in disguise? Do we have a choice?
Traveling North along the No.1 from Hsinchu to Taoyuan, one cannot miss the beauty of the dense indigenous tropical bush that hugs each mountain slope. One can only begin to imagine the biodiversity, animal and insect life that are endemic to Taiwan and this region. But all what you can imagine is lost as you become bombarded by billboard advertisements that mean absolutely nothing especially to me as a foreigner unable to read Chinese. It seems that the years of industrialization and capitalization has been only to serve one purpose - to provide employment for Taiwan's population, to create a wealthy middle class and a super rich aristocracy. This has been done at the expense of the environment and the people themselves.
For those who do value the beauty and splendor of any natural environment, Taiwan certainly does offer a rich diversity of options to choose from. From the magnificent mountain peaks towering high above the clouds at an elevation of almost 4000m, to the sandy white beaches of Kenting harboring a diverse subtropical vegetation including palm and banana trees and even sugar cane that can be juiced for you on the roadside. Diving off Kenting or Green Island offers a plethora of aquatic and undersea life not to mention an interesting seabed made up from thousands of years of earth movement and volcanic activity. The Tunnel of Nine Turns offers you a spectacular example how mother nature sculpts her landscape with finesse and precision using water to express herself with passion making Toroko Gorge a true wonder of the world.
As the world becomes over populated, so does Taiwan. With consumerism spiraling out of control, Taiwan with all its advances and technologies helps to perpetuate this worldwide phenomenon. We need to reestablish our value systems and decide what is more important to us. Having those fascinating little 21st century gadgets being manufactured from a factory nestled in amongst beautiful trees or being able to drive along the freeways with unobstructed visions of the beauty and splendor of what the natural environment offers us, is a freedom of choice we are losing fast. We all have to hold ourselves accountable to our grand children, being able to offer them a plausible reason why they cannot drive from Hsinchu to Taipei without being harassed by big, ugly billboard advertising. Maybe we should just be submissive and just accept what "big corporates" throw at us and just be thankful we have a job?
Isn't this the feudal system in disguise? Do we have a choice?
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Taiwan, Education and the 21st Century - by Jason Tonkin
Schools and other educational institutes in Taiwan would do well to recognize the huge investment the government over the years has made in human resource development and see how they can dovetail with the needs that have been recognized and identified. As such, parents and educators need to be cognizant of this fact and gradually help children to become aware of society’s needs. In providing an education for students or our own children, it is critical that we equip them with the learning skills, attitudes and values necessary for survival in the 21 Century. Teachers need to also realize they are the real instruments of change and need to be mindful education policy. As educators we need to understand the growing needs of our economies and of society at large and to be able to help students to realize their potential, understanding their competitive advantage lies in their ability to be innovative and creative.
From an agrarian labor intensive economy, to a capital intensive economy, Taiwan has finally in the last 30 years emerged as a Technology and Knowledge Intensive Industrial economy. This has clearly occurred by design and it makes one wonder what the vision for the next 50 years or less is. There has been a huge input of energy in human resource development practices, the result producing highly skilled scientific practitioners leading to an explosion in the fields of information and technology. This focus on the Technology and Knowledge Intensive Industries has establish Taiwan as a world leader in ICT development holding a more than 50% global market share in very important Information, Communication and Technology products including notebook PC’s, iPods, Cell Phones and other ICT products. This understanding is crucial if its educational institutions are going to lead our students in the right direction because it stands to reason that this is where the key to our survival exists. It’s astounding that such a small nation with a population as small as 23 million has been able to achieve all that it has in a mere 50 - 60 years.
Meeting the needs of an economic structure that includes music, arts, sports, culture, science and technology in their broadest sense is the key for creating balance. Whilst one could agree there are certain imbalances in Taiwan, what you do not see is extreme poverty and unrest thus creating a more stable economic environment. How does one maintain this? And how can one improve upon this? A culture of productivity is crucial for attracting investment that has contributed positively towards creating the economic environment that is so crucial for this kind of development. It stands to reason then that maintaining a similar environment with same attributes at a medium and micro scale would be optimal. Every level of society needs to work together in the true ‘spirit of Ubumbano*’(see note). This goal can best be achieved if one approaches this in a structured and coordinated manner whilst being flexible allowing for individual differences and perspectives to emerge and develop.
Much of what has been achieved must surely have emerged from a sound education policy that Taiwan has followed through with. One can notice particularly in Hsinchu County that the public schools are comparatively well equipped with human resources, personal and equipment. There are also many small universities scattered all around the island, each catering for individual needs and interests of students locally and from all around the world! The highest priority in Taiwan in an era where Information and Technology have certainly become an economic focus, certainly seems to be on human resource development with a focus on self actualization. Throughout the island, the need for students to become familiar with the English Language was identified in the 80’s and has since become a multibillion dollar industry. The ‘true value’ of this can be argued, however the organization, freedom and structure can be clearly noted. It is therefore imperative that schools are aware of the growing needs of Taiwan and of the rest of the world. The world is the market place particularly for those growing up in Taiwan. It is our responsibility as educators to provide them with educational needs that equip them to survive in the competitive international community. International boundaries have been stripped away as ongoing globalization of every facet of human existence takes on a more competitive nature. Of this, educators need to be constantly aware.
Educators today must also be aware of the growing trends in society and provide teaching styles conducive to maintaining student interest. The ways students learn continues to change as the digital age takes a firm grip on what we see and how we perceive our reality. Educators can no longer stand in front of students and babble on about things the text book or their parents say they should know word for word. Parents need to understand that educational need have changed since they were at school and being able to recite a text book is NOT what society or the economy needs. These days are long gone! Children from as young an age as possible should be allowed to develop as critical thinkers. There needs to be greater diversity of interests to allow a new enlightened generation to emerge that will solve the problems of the world. It has been said that the problems in the world today cannot be solved by the people who created them. Children should be recognized as natural learners and with educators being mere facilitators of knowledge and information that is already out there in pc’s, iPods, Mp3, 4 and 5 players and not just in the class room. We need to give them skills of how to differentiate between this knowledge gained and to discern what is more suitable and most appropriate for their own development. They need educators who will provide them with windows of opportunities to learn about something of interest, something that is useful allowing them to go on and become whole brain thinkers. We will otherwise be met with resistance and life in the classroom could ultimately become really unpleasant. This is applicable to ALL grades and levels of teaching. Students need to feel they are part of the process and to achieve this, one needs to give them responsibility. They should not feel afraid to fail at an attempt since all the greatest inventions today probably failed the first time the idea was conceived and put into practice. Ask Bill Gates, Richard Branson or any other innovator or thinker who has shaped all our lives and destinies.
In the final analysis it can be said that social development is about creating an environment where students can develop their full potential, leading productive creative lives in accord with their individual needs and interests. We as educators today must embrace the 21st Century in a positive light giving every individual a chance to discover their own full potential, strengths and creative abilities. From an African and more western perspective, Taiwan can be seen as a land filled with contradictions. One can moan about little old ladies holding up rush hour traffic as they cruse down Guangfu Lu in their little battery operated buggy at 15 km per hour - no road rage, mind you! But you could never argue that Taiwan does not look after its people. In the end, it needs to be said that it all starts with a good education and there is always room for improvement.
Ubumbano*- The African value that describes the coming together of the will and spirit of people.
From an agrarian labor intensive economy, to a capital intensive economy, Taiwan has finally in the last 30 years emerged as a Technology and Knowledge Intensive Industrial economy. This has clearly occurred by design and it makes one wonder what the vision for the next 50 years or less is. There has been a huge input of energy in human resource development practices, the result producing highly skilled scientific practitioners leading to an explosion in the fields of information and technology. This focus on the Technology and Knowledge Intensive Industries has establish Taiwan as a world leader in ICT development holding a more than 50% global market share in very important Information, Communication and Technology products including notebook PC’s, iPods, Cell Phones and other ICT products. This understanding is crucial if its educational institutions are going to lead our students in the right direction because it stands to reason that this is where the key to our survival exists. It’s astounding that such a small nation with a population as small as 23 million has been able to achieve all that it has in a mere 50 - 60 years.
Meeting the needs of an economic structure that includes music, arts, sports, culture, science and technology in their broadest sense is the key for creating balance. Whilst one could agree there are certain imbalances in Taiwan, what you do not see is extreme poverty and unrest thus creating a more stable economic environment. How does one maintain this? And how can one improve upon this? A culture of productivity is crucial for attracting investment that has contributed positively towards creating the economic environment that is so crucial for this kind of development. It stands to reason then that maintaining a similar environment with same attributes at a medium and micro scale would be optimal. Every level of society needs to work together in the true ‘spirit of Ubumbano*’(see note). This goal can best be achieved if one approaches this in a structured and coordinated manner whilst being flexible allowing for individual differences and perspectives to emerge and develop.
Much of what has been achieved must surely have emerged from a sound education policy that Taiwan has followed through with. One can notice particularly in Hsinchu County that the public schools are comparatively well equipped with human resources, personal and equipment. There are also many small universities scattered all around the island, each catering for individual needs and interests of students locally and from all around the world! The highest priority in Taiwan in an era where Information and Technology have certainly become an economic focus, certainly seems to be on human resource development with a focus on self actualization. Throughout the island, the need for students to become familiar with the English Language was identified in the 80’s and has since become a multibillion dollar industry. The ‘true value’ of this can be argued, however the organization, freedom and structure can be clearly noted. It is therefore imperative that schools are aware of the growing needs of Taiwan and of the rest of the world. The world is the market place particularly for those growing up in Taiwan. It is our responsibility as educators to provide them with educational needs that equip them to survive in the competitive international community. International boundaries have been stripped away as ongoing globalization of every facet of human existence takes on a more competitive nature. Of this, educators need to be constantly aware.
Educators today must also be aware of the growing trends in society and provide teaching styles conducive to maintaining student interest. The ways students learn continues to change as the digital age takes a firm grip on what we see and how we perceive our reality. Educators can no longer stand in front of students and babble on about things the text book or their parents say they should know word for word. Parents need to understand that educational need have changed since they were at school and being able to recite a text book is NOT what society or the economy needs. These days are long gone! Children from as young an age as possible should be allowed to develop as critical thinkers. There needs to be greater diversity of interests to allow a new enlightened generation to emerge that will solve the problems of the world. It has been said that the problems in the world today cannot be solved by the people who created them. Children should be recognized as natural learners and with educators being mere facilitators of knowledge and information that is already out there in pc’s, iPods, Mp3, 4 and 5 players and not just in the class room. We need to give them skills of how to differentiate between this knowledge gained and to discern what is more suitable and most appropriate for their own development. They need educators who will provide them with windows of opportunities to learn about something of interest, something that is useful allowing them to go on and become whole brain thinkers. We will otherwise be met with resistance and life in the classroom could ultimately become really unpleasant. This is applicable to ALL grades and levels of teaching. Students need to feel they are part of the process and to achieve this, one needs to give them responsibility. They should not feel afraid to fail at an attempt since all the greatest inventions today probably failed the first time the idea was conceived and put into practice. Ask Bill Gates, Richard Branson or any other innovator or thinker who has shaped all our lives and destinies.
In the final analysis it can be said that social development is about creating an environment where students can develop their full potential, leading productive creative lives in accord with their individual needs and interests. We as educators today must embrace the 21st Century in a positive light giving every individual a chance to discover their own full potential, strengths and creative abilities. From an African and more western perspective, Taiwan can be seen as a land filled with contradictions. One can moan about little old ladies holding up rush hour traffic as they cruse down Guangfu Lu in their little battery operated buggy at 15 km per hour - no road rage, mind you! But you could never argue that Taiwan does not look after its people. In the end, it needs to be said that it all starts with a good education and there is always room for improvement.
Ubumbano*- The African value that describes the coming together of the will and spirit of people.
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