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Foreign spouses urged to participate more in children's school life
Taipei, March 17 (CNA) With the launch of the "Multi-cultures week" in elementary schools in Taipei city this week, several charity groups and school principals on Monday urged foreign spouses to participate more in their children's school life.
Most of the more than 350,000 foreign spouses who have been allowed to immigrate to Taiwan are women, with a majority coming from mainland China, while many also come from Southeast Asian countries, especially Vietnam and Indonesia.
"The participation of these foreign mothers in school can not only help them understand their children's academic performance and moral development, but also strengthen the relationship between community, family and school," said Tsai Li-zhu, the chairman of the Hsu Chau-ing Social Welfare and Charity Foundation (HCSWCF) , whose main goal is to provide assistance to foreign spouses and their family.
However, most foreign spouses encounter obstacles when they try to participate in activities at their children's school, Tsai said, citing a language barrier and heavy household duties.
Hoping that the "new Taiwanese mothers" will play a greater role in their children's school life, Su He, Secretary-General of the Can Love Social Services Association (CLSSA), encouraged the parents to actively engage in school activities, such as annual sports events, voluntary story-telling, and parent-teacher associations.
To give more opportunities for foreign spouses to join their children's activities, the association will organize sport games in May, inviting local and foreign mothers and their children to participate so as to increase interaction between the two groups.
According to a survey of the Ministry of Education, there were more than 80,000 children with a parent who came from another country attending elementary schools and junior high schools in Taiwan in 2006.
The growth rate is increasing year by year.
About 25,000 of these children live in northern Taiwan, mostly in Taipei county, Taipei city and Taoyuan county.
During the "Multi-cultures week", elementary schools in Taipei help pupils learn more about the different cultures of some of their classmates, through food, images, traditional costumes, and so on.
(By Emmanuelle Tzeng)
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