《TAIPEI TIMES》 English-language classes to receive further subsidies

By Jonathan Chin / Staff writer

Taiwanese schools and universities are to receive more subsidies for English-language instruction as part of the Bilingual 2030 initiative, the Ministry of Education said in a statement yesterday.

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Subsidies for experimental bilingual classes at high schools are to be expanded to 55 schools, up from 50 schools last year, the ministry’s K-12 Education Administration said.

Schools are authorized to request subsidies for the recruitment of English-language teachers from foreign countries, assistantships, research programs, conferences, classroom equipment and making other improvements to the English-language environment on campus, the agency said.

Foreign teachers can work with Taiwanese teachers in teams or to advise them in the design of English-language courses in bilingual experimental classes, it said.

A program to boost the professional training of English-language teachers — which the agency planned together with the Department of Teacher and Art Education last year — would be continued this year, it said, adding that classes would be available at National Taiwan Normal University, the National Changhua University of Education, National Kaohsiung Normal University and Ming Chuan University.

The National Changhua University of Education is also planning to launch a program to design a support system for high-school teachers involved in bilingual experimental education using on-site observations, discussions and research, it said.

The initiative to transform Taiwan into a bilingual nation was launched in 2018 with the aim of increasing the population’s English proficiency and global competitiveness, the Executive Yuan has said.

The initiative would involve educational efforts, as well as a nationwide adoption of English as an official language of communication, documentation, regulation, public service and other government business, it said.

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES