As schools across Taiwan face declining enrollment rates, more universities are dropping their English-language admission requirements. Some educators say this goes against the government’s goal of boosting young people’s proficiency in the language.
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00:00Since 2015, high schoolers across Taiwan have been taking the official high school English
00:05listening test as part of their university admissions process.
00:10But things are changing.
00:12Fewer colleges are asking prospective students to submit scores.
00:16In 2015, over 300 university departments required these test scores.
00:22But in 2024, there were just over 30 schools still asking for them.
00:27This year, National Taiwan Normal University became one of the latest institutions to
00:31drop this requirement.
00:49The university says another reason they decided to drop the requirement was because during
00:54the school's second-round interview process for admissions, they already require applicants
00:59to take an oral English test.
01:02But as more universities continue to ditch the English listening requirement, some high
01:06school English teachers say the trend is inconsistent with the government's goal of increasing
01:11English proficiency among young people.
01:24There are other English proficiency tests available to students, like TOEIC, TOEFL,
01:35and IELTS.
01:37But high school teachers say the English listening test is more accessible to students, as it
01:42is more affordable and administered through high schools.
01:46The National Education Bureau says as Taiwan's birth rate declines, schools across the country
01:52will continue to face a growing enrollment problem, forcing more institutions to potentially
01:57drop even more admissions requirements.
02:00Yixin Chen, Wesley Lewis, and Harrell Hughes for Taiwan Plus.