In Taiwanese schools we concentrate more in grammar. Weekly, students will have eight hours of English class. This will include two hours for Listening and Speaking and the other six hours will concentrate in reading, writing and grammar. Most of students will get extra help after school, that we call Cram Schools.Also, in our school and in Taiwan, the Taiwanese government said that everybody has to pass GEPT this stands for (General English Proficiency Test), in Chinese is (全民英檢). This is kind of TOEFL test that all international students have to do when they want to go and study at university in English speaking countries.
I think this is one way to help students in Taiwan to study harder in their English. As a teacher, I think it is hard for students here in Taiwan to practice their English daily. They can be excellent in grammar, reading or writing but not very good at speaking or listening. You see, after school, they go home or they go for extra help at cram schools. However, the society, people speak in Chinese. The TV, radio programs and life everything is in their main languages (Taiwanese and Chinese). But, when, they can use their second language, this is only at school when an English teacher will ask the student a question in English, the two seconds that the student has will just answer in English. Just imagine, two seconds, how a student will improve their listening and speaking?
Some schools like mine will have study abroad program for it. Every summer our study program will go to Australia and England. But, parents must spent a lot of money for their children to go. Everybody invest their money on their child's education. Taiwanese society is very stressful because parents just think how to make money for their children's education.
