National Taiwan Ocean University hosted the 2020 Conference for the Promotion of Marine Education in Special Municipalities, Cities, and Counties.

        On January 17, 2020, the Taiwan Marine Education Center (TMEC) of National Taiwan Ocean University hosted the 2020 Conference for the Promotion of Marine Education in Special Municipalities, Cities, and Counties in the fifth meeting room on the 18th floor of the South Building of the Central Government Office. Conference attendees included members from the Department of Planning of the Ministry of Education (MOE) and the senior and junior high school divisions of the MOE K-12 Education Administration, in addition to marine education case officers in the 22 municipal education departments in Taiwan, representative teachers from the Ocean Resource Center, and representatives from the National Museum of Marine Science and Technology, National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium, Marine Educational Resource Center of Senior High School, and Study Area of Fisheries and Aquatic Science and Study Area of Marine Science. Ching-Fong Chang, the President of National Taiwan Ocean University, served as the conference host and oversaw discussion on those marine education promotion assignments to be carried out in 2020 in each city and county. In total, 70 people attended the conference.

        In 2013, National Taiwan Ocean University received a grant from the MOE to establish the TMEC. Its objective is to integrate domestic marine education resources and establish a marine education promotion platform, as stated in Taiwan’s white paper on marine education policy. The TMEC serves as an integrative platform for promoting marine education. Its main functions are to comprehend the current trend of how marine education in Taiwan is developing, to identify problems concerning marine education, to provide consultation services pertaining to marine education, and to compile resources and achievement results related to marine education.

        According to the resolution in the second meeting of the MOE Marine Education Promotion Division in 2019 and the 2020 Marine Education Curriculum and Teaching Development Plan, marine preservation is the main theme of marine education promotion in 2020. This theme incorporates three dimensions: coastal preservation, food and fishery education, and plastic reduction. During the conference, representatives from each city and county were instructed to develop marine education curricula and activities according to their local characteristics. In addition, the 2020 Nationwide Marine Education Achievement Presentation and Teacher Training Conference will be hosted in August. As the conference host, the Penghu County government is actively preparing for the event. Representatives from each city and county are welcome to visit Penghu and to share their experience in promoting marine education according to local characteristics.

        Since 2014, the TMEC has hosted the Conference for the Promotion of Marine Education in Special Municipalities, Cities, and Counties annually to discuss the primary marine education activities to be conducted. The TMEC hopes to combine the resources and capacities of local governments and marine education centers to fulfill its role as an integrative marine education promotion platform; in doing so, it can continually promote and improve marine education in Taiwan.

2020 Conference for the Promotion of Marine Education in Special Municipalities, Cities, and Counties hosted by National Taiwan Ocean University