Taiwan is surrounded by the ocean, with over 121 offshore islands and reef rocks and a 1,566 km coastline. Taiwan's territorial waters span approximately 170,000 km², about 4.72 times its land area. Owing to its geographical location, Taiwan is home to diverse habitats, with the number of marine species accounting for one-tenth that of the world's.

Thanks to the northeast monsoons, the Taiwan Strait, bounded by China's Wuyi Mountains on the west and Taiwan's Central Mountain Range on the east, enjoys abundant renewable wind energy.

Taiwan sits at a pivotal location with rich marine resources, which have played an important role in the country's development into a marine nation. In the 1970s, the development of maritime transport and international trade drove the economic boom in Taiwan, securing its place as one of the Four Asian Tigers.

In 1994, the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea went into effect, and developed countries unveiled their own White Paper on Marine Education Policy while putting effort into the development of marine economy, society, and culture.

In 2007, the Ministry of Education (MOE) drafted the White Paper on Marine Education Policy, Taiwan's first education policy document focusing on the ocean. In addition to enhancing student understanding of the sea and training talents for the industry, it promotes an ocean-conscious education for all. In 2008, the MOE further included marine education in the Grade 1-9 Curriculum Guideline as a major topic to solidify marine education early in schools.

Source: Ministry of Education (MOE)

Comprehensive Promotion of Marine Education to Connect with the World

The MOE has arranged three terms of the Marine Education Implementation Plan, totaling twelve years. The K-12 Education Administration provides aid and funding for each municipality to establish marine education resource centers and their operation. Each municipality, in turn, develops marine education materials based on local features and includes them in the curriculum.

In response to international trends, the MOE announced the latest version of the White Paper on Marine Education Policy in October 2017. The core strategy and measures focus on three aspects: enhancing the promotion of marine education, improving public ocean literacy, and boosting the ability of marine professionals in hopes that Taiwan's talents can keep pace with the industry and form a connection with the world.

Taiwan has a total of 10 maritime and fishery schools, training over 6,000 people in the marine field. In March 2019, Taiwan's first maritime, fishery, and business management career exploration and experience education center on campus was officially opened at Kaohsiung Municipal Cianjhen Junior High School.

                       

The center combines maritime and fishery simulation equipment and research of business and logistics curriculum to help the next generation explore careers and begin early training of maritime, fishery, and business management talents.

Challenges exist as teachers and students rarely touch upon marine topics, making it difficult for the next generation to establish a connection between the ocean and their daily lives.

On the other hand, due to the strong preference to seek a higher degree, a gap exists between education and marine industry's need for workers. Taiwan’s low birth rate, and the development of marine industry technologies also pose new challenges to maritime schools.

Have you read?
♦ Technology Upgrades Taiwanese Fisheries
♦ Taiwan Turns Ocean Waste into Footwear
♦ Eco-Tourism off Jiangjun’ao Isle

On April 8, 2019, at the first Marine Education Curriculum and Instruction meeting, Yu Ker-wei, the author of the White Paper on Marine Education and Vice President of National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology, pointed out that marine education is an urgent issue, especially now that we are detecting plastic microbeads in our food, like fish and shrimp.

President Tsai Ing-wen once said, “We should take a more open, active, and diverse approach to get to know the ocean, leverage the ocean, and coexist with the ocean. We should maintain our existing advantage and explore new assets such as new energy sources, new water sources, and new marine recreation to develop a sustainable and competitive marine industry.”

When the Ocean Affairs Council began operations in Kaohsiung in April 2018, President Tsai reiterated that the ocean is Taiwan's most critical path forward.

Source: Ministry of Education (MOE)

Highlights in Education Implementation

To rediscover Taiwan’s ocean spirit and train the next generation of marine talents, every municipality in Taiwan is innovatively leading our next generation to embrace the ocean.

Tainan has over 55 kilometers of coastline and has accumulated 7 years of experience systematically promoting marine education. It has established marine education resource centers in elementary schools. Ouwang Elementary School has a data and information consolidation center while the Yuguang campus of Yizai Elementary School houses a marine education exhibition space.

Tainan has also arranged for students to walk through the community to learn about local history, historic sites on an offshore island, and life in a fishing village. The City also has students building sailboats and canoes, and traveling in them.

Using its advantage as a waterfront city, Kaohsiung launched a 3-year promotion project in 2015 that combines marine science, marine culture, marine resources, and marine society, and leveraged them to gradually turn every school in the city into a marine school, training students to become ocean literate.

With marine culture as the theme, Kaohsiung has developed 6 specialty education tours in the different districts. For example, the Gushan District Marine Humanistic Economics Tour takes students to the British Consulate, Hamasen, Kaohsiung Port Station, Sizihwan, and Pier No. 1.

The tour takes students through local history and lifestyles to observe the ocean culture of the port city. The Education Bureau of Kaohsiung is also working with the Marine Bureau to organize different ocean-themed courses and DIY activities to promote marine science education.

Source: Ministry of Education (MOE)

Penghu is the only island county of Taiwan and is proactively promoting student and public understanding of the ocean through marine education. Stone weirs are beautiful attractions and the wisdom of Penghu’s early inhabitants. Penghu county includes local marine features in its curriculum and takes students to study how stone weirs can capture fish.

Aside from experiential activities, Penghu county has also invited students to learn on their own from e-books on the Marine Education Resource Center website. A countywide middle and elementary school marine knowledge contest is also held to strengthen the marine knowledge of the next generation.

Moreover, in light of the damage on marine ecology by microbeads, the county has also held a Making the Waters of Penghu Microbead-free essay and manga contest to raise student awareness of plastic pollution.

Source: Ministry of Education (MOE)

Continuing Training in the Future: Marine Education 2.0

To expedite a response to the impact on marine environment and ecology, the MOE held the first Marine Education Curriculum and Instruction meeting on April 8, 2019, chaired by Fan Sun-Lu, Deputy Minister of Education. People from all sectors were invited to discuss topics such as marine education curriculum and learning.

Taiwan has officially ushered in Marine Education 2.0, with marine education integrated into the new 12-year basic education curriculum.

Peng Fu-yuan, Director General of the K-12 Education Administration, emphasized in the meeting the development of student-centric learning materials, enhancement of marine education instructors, and establishing a human resource bank for marine education.

Fan announced that an MOE Marine Education Curriculum and Learning Development Task Force will be established to provide a bridge to the world, to the industry, and to talent grooming and to plan a forward-looking, comprehensive and practical development strategy.

Marine education in Taiwan is an ongoing project. It is like sowing seeds in schools across all levels, in hopes the seeds will grow in the hearts of students and they become advocates of the ocean, molding a brighter future for the ocean country.

Content sponsored by Ministry of Education (MOE)