Lu Ying-ying
Lu Ying-ying is the youngest member of the Taipei City Council. While running for this office in December last year, Ms. Lu gave an interview to the Taipei Times http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2002/12/16/187375 in which she advocated the need for foreign teachers to have special education and licensing. The article about the interview produced quite a bit of discussion on segue.com.tw http://forumosa.com/3/viewtopic.php?t=6638 Since then, she has gone on to appoint herself the guardian of English standards in Taipei
Mayor Ma is Blasted for Poor English Web Sites China Post April 3, 2003.
I am not entirely clear what qualifies Ms. Lu for such a role. The Taipei Times interview described her as follows, "Lu was an English teacher before participating in the councilor election. She owned a Sesame Street English school in Shihpai." However, her information page on the Taipei City Council Web site http://www.tcc.gov.tw/ states that she has no education to speak of. After graduating from high school, she attended a school whose name directly translates into the "American Pacific University Bushiban". It would appear to be a cram school.
Why Ms. Lu advocates special education and licensing for foreign teachers, but not their employers is quite mysterious. I have tried to clear up this confusion by contacting her. I have e-mailed her twice, but received no reply. If you're wondering what qualifies her to be the defender and guardian of Taipei's English standards, Taiwan being a democracy, you too can write her at her City Council address tcc9103@mail.tcc.gov.tw and ask.
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