At what age do kids normally start school in Taiwan?
I was just wondering, at what age do kids start school in Taiwan? Also, is it common to attend any sort of preschool there?
Public Comments
- Some as young as 2 years old but normally kindergarten starts at 4.
- I like zoom said most kids start kindergarten around the age of 4. Yes there are preschools here, and they are somewhat common for kids, because they will start learning Chinese and sometimes English at an early age. While many public kindergartens and preschools exist in Taiwan, private kindergartens and preschools are also quite popular. Many private preschools offer accelerated courses in various subjects to compete with public preschools and capitalize on public demand for academic achievement. Curriculum at such preschools often encompasses subject material such as science, art, physical education and even mathematics classes. The majority of these schools are part of large school chains, which operate under franchise arrangements. In return for annual fees, the chain enterprises may supply advertising, curriculum, books, materials, training, and even staff for each individual school. There has been a huge growth in the number of privately owned and operated English immersion preschools in Taiwan since 1999. These English immersion preschools generally employ native English speaking teachers to teach the whole preschool curriculum in an ‘English only’ environment. The legality of these types of schools has been called into question on many occasions, yet they continue to prosper. Some members of Taiwanese society have raised concerns as to whether local children should be placed in English immersion environments at such a young age, and have raised fears that the students abilities in their mother language may suffer as a result. The debate continues, but at the present time, the market for English Immersion Preschools continues to grow. --Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_Taiwan#Kindergartens_and_preschool )
