At a Glance
- ‧ Compulsory education extended
- ‧ Development of worlSportsd-class universities
- ‧ e-Learning takes on a growing role
As the second decade of the 21st century begins, citizens of the Republic of China have a variety of quality education choices. Nine years of compulsory education has been the norm for decades. Now, in the nation’s centennial year, 99.9 percent of children enter primary school, and nearly every child attends secondary education. Tertiary education has also become commonplace.The illiteracy rate has fallen to 2.09 percent, while educational expenditures have risen to 6.51 percent of GDP. In a ma-jor development, the Ministry of Education announced in early 2011 that 12 years of national fundamental education would be the standard from 2014.
e-Learning initiatives begun nearly a decade ago today benefit both students and the general work force, and programs to make university-level education and research world-class are entering their second stage. Foreign students can study Mandarin Chinese in Taiwan via certified training programs in a culturally stimulating environment.