Department of Information and Tourism, Taipei City Government

During the conference of Taipei City Elementary School Principals on February 1, Mayor Hau Lung-bin stressed the main objective of Taipei’s elementary school education is not training smart students, but making the learning process enjoyable for the pupils. He encouraged the principals to help the young ones develop strong moral values and healthy minds and bodies.
Hau noted that people acquire many important values during elementary and middle school; therefore, the school principals play a key role in influencing and shaping the future of their students.
Citing environmental protection as an example, the mayor remarked that while the majority of the public agree with the necessity of protecting our environment, the hassle of implementing additional measures and the resulting inconveniences discourage many of them. However, he believes that that the campaign would be more successful if implemented at the schools, starting with the students first and gradually affecting the students’ parents.
In addition to encouraging the schools to develop along the lines of “one school, one unique trait”, he also suggested that schools could work on the strengthening of international exchanges. According to the mayor, the upcoming Taipei International Flora Exposition will be a great opportunity for elementary school students to interact with foreign guests, helping the students acquires an international perspective.
The Department of Education has designated 2010 as the “Year of Ecology Education.” During the meeting, the agency invited Flora Expo Producer Ding Shyi-yong to introduce the upcoming event to the principals at the meeting. Professor Yeh Shin-cheng from National Taiwan Normal University’s Graduate Institute of Environmental Education also gave a presentation on climate changes.