A total of 2,465 Southeast Asian language teachers are all set for the new term at Taiwan’s elementary schools.
The teachers will implement a policy of teaching “new immigrant languages” to an estimated 3,500 students. The courses are being introduced to the island’s primary education curriculum this year, said the Ministry of Education (MOE).
There are seven languages available for first-graders, including Indonesian, Vietnamese, Thai, Malay, Filipino, Khmer, and Burmese. These options are in addition to Minnan, Hakka, and the Formosan languages, which are the languages of Taiwan’s indigenous peoples.
As the Southeast Asian language course is mandatory, Taiwan’s children will be required to select one of the seven languages. Courses will be designed to be interesting and easily accessible, wrote Central News Agency.
Students living in remote areas will be able to access the course through “cloud” platforms. The scheme will be expanded to cover senior grade students in the future, said MOE.
MOE has also implemented a five-year program to equip second-generation immigrants with language skills that will improve their competitive edge.
By Taiwan News
