General Information

Social education encompasses three areas including, lifelong education, adult education, and supplementary education. The division in charge of lifelong education was formerly the art education division, which underwent reform in November 1999. Promotion of lifelong education turned a new page in that it now covers facilitating the establishment of community college, issuance of Taipei City lifelong education passport, enhancement of publics safety inspections on tutorial institutions, cracking down upon unregistered tutorial institutions, guidance and supervision of educational foundations, overseeing BOT plan of social education institutions and enhancing education in students’ traffic safety.

Important Measures

1. Establish more community colleges to offer adult education
   The first community college set up under the Muzha Junior High School has been extremely popular. At present, there are 12 community colleges, each operating under the respective administrative districts. In 2006, there were 65,000 students that made their subject selection.
   
   
2. Issue the Taipei City lifelong learning passport, promoting lifelong education
   The Department devotes lots of effort to consolidate close to 200 organizations, schools and private educational resources operating under the municipal government. The municipal library is in charge of issuing the “Taipei City Lifelong Learning Passport” and quarterly periodical, “Taipei City Lifelong Learning Network News”, offering passport holders the information on various educational events. Up until now, there are a total of 46,905 passport holders and 9,000 copies of periodicals being printed each quarter for distribution to readers at the municipal library and its branches, reading rooms and co-publishers.
   
   
3. Outsource social work organizations to facilitate enterprise management
   The Children's Museum of Transportation under the Department officially came into being on May 12, 2001 with its management outsourced to a private organization. The Taipei Youth Recreation Center of which management is also outsourced to a private organization was inaugurated in March 2001, offering services to our youth.
   
   
4. Guide and manage educational foundations for aid their development
   There were a total of 354 educational foundations registered under the municipal system. The Department assists with while at the same time, supervising the operations of these foundations to ensure development of non-profit making social organizations.
   
   
5. Strengthen public safety inspections on tutorial institutions to protect student rights
   To ensure public safety, actively crack down upon on illegal tutorial institutions. The campaign covered a total of 2,629 tutorial institutions, which became legally registered.
   
   
6. Promote basic adult education to improve citizens’ basic skills
   In 2006, the Department opened a total of 55 basic adult education classes at 34 schools, which include 14 junior high schools, 14 new migrants and 27 combined classes. Adult education classes were also offered at 12 public and private senior high and vocational schools, offering a total of 182 courses and recruited 3,615 students.
   
   
7. Emphasize traditional art education in schools
   Encourage elementary and junior high schools to promote traditional art on campus. Also organize jointly exhibitions and shows, giving students the opportunity to demonstrate their talent while at time same time making further improvements by learning from others.
   
   
8. Promote art exchange programs and exhibitions to enhance art education
   Promote multiple art development and facilitate international exchange. Improve students’ creativity in artwork and carry out the objectives of art education at schools. Offer students the opportunity to participate in artwork exhibitions and encourage schools to be a part of art exchange activities and visits.
   
   
9. Colorful and lively social education institutions to offer social education services
   Social education institutions operating under Taipei City include the Taipei Zoo, Taipei Astronomical Museum, Taipei Public Library, and Children’s Recreation Center. Their primary function is to spread the knowledge of lifelong education and offer diverse recreational facilities. The aim is to help citizens develop proper leisure habits and interest in reading.
   
   
10. Expand the number of reading rooms and library branches to cultivate civilians’ interest in reading
    The Taipei Public Library has a collection over 4.2 million volumes (copies) of books with each citizen practically entitled to 1.7 copies of books. An average of 5.98 million volumes (copies) of books are on loan with a total of 11 million visitors-times each year. In addition to the head library, there are 40 branches, 15 reading rooms and 2 “Openbook Libraries” across 12 administrative districts.

Future Prospects

1. Assist social education institutions to effectively manage their business operation that is centered on school teaching and community learning in order to offer the city higher quality social education services.
   
2. Consolidate private resources, increase the rate and scope of outsourcing social education institutions to private organizations to meet the call for social participation.
   
3. Set up family education centers and consolidate existing resources to offer Taipei residents more comprehensive lifelong learning opportunities, enabling everyone to learn at all times and places.
   
4. Plan to expand the Children’s Recreation Center and construct the new Yuan-Shan Children’s Amusement Park.