臺灣文化「譯」起讀

Walking on the road in Taiwan, you can see many “cram schools.” “Cram school” is a type of school. Many countries have cram schools as well. In South Korea, “cram schools” are called “Hagwons”. Other countries called it cram schools or tutorial centers. The history of “cram school” can be traced back to Qing dynasty. At that time, “cram school” was built for Literacy Education. In 1968, because the 9-year compulsory education law was passed, the number of junior high school students has increased. More students caused the entrance exam to be more competitive. Therefore, more students go to “cram schools.”

Taiwan’s educational system is incredibly competitive. Students have to take many exams, and some scores of the exams can determine a student’s entire life. “Cram schools” usually give students some tips for them to pass the exam. “Cram schools” have many previous exam questions, and also have first-hand information about the tests. Thus, many students go to “cram schools” to learn how to pass the tests.

Examination is a very important part of students’ life. There are entrance exams, from junior high to senior high and from senior high to university. Also, when univesity graduates want to enter graduate institute or find a job, they still need to take entrance exams. In order to get better scores or pass the test, receiving formal education is not enough, so they go to “cram schools” to study.

“cram schools” are different from regular schools. “cram schools” vary a lot in size. Some “cram schools” have just a few employees, and other “cram schools” have hundreds of teachers and branches all over the country. There is one thing that all "cram schools" are the same. They are privately owned. Furthermore, they are run as a business. Most “cram schools” take the students’ education seriously and have high standards of curriculum. In fact, running the business of “cram schools” is highly competitive. Parents are picky about the “cram schools” choice because they want their kids to have better grades in the examinations.

Nowadays, due to the low birth rate in Taiwan, “cram schools” have faced the challenge of inadequate students. It becomes much more difficult and competitive to run a “cram school.” In order to get more students and win parents' trust, a “cram schools” must have good teaching programs and curriculum design. Thus, so that students can acquire more knowledge and get better scores in their exams.