The Current Status and Role of Community Educational Facilities in Taiwan: Focusing on the Latest Community College Trends

Abstract

This paper examines the current status, the latest trends, and the role of community educational facilities in Taiwan, facilities which have increased in number since the late 1990s.

The study showed that community colleges are emphasizing more than ever their institutional responsibility for dealing with local issues, brought on by Taiwan’s declining birthrate, its aging population, and the need to respond to multiculturalism. Placing “learning” at their core, community colleges are also taking on the role of social welfare providers for area residents as well as offering community learning services and teacher training.

However, for community colleges, which are institutions of learning, to take on administrative issues, such as seeking solutions to local problems, could lead as well to a mobilization of learners.

This suggests how important it is for community education facilities to be places where people can learn in an enjoyable and casual environment, as well as the need to create more places where learning is fun and where solutions to local issues can emerge.