The Ministry of Education on Wednesday announced that courses in the nation’s native languages would be compulsory from as early as 2016, news that was welcomed by most parent groups and teachers’ organizations.
Minister of Education Chiang Wei-ling (蔣偉寧) said that the revised education curriculum for the 12-year compulsory national education program would include Taiwanese (also known as Hoklo), Hakka and Aboriginal languages.
Chiang said that students in junior-high school would have at least one class a week learning a native language, which will be implemented by making the optional courses compulsory.
The National Academy for Educational Research is responsible for revising and updating the school curriculum for the shift to the 12-year national education program starting next year.
The native-language classes would be complulsory from grade one through grade six, consisting of one class per week. Students have the option of choosing between Taiwanese, Hakka or one of the other Aboriginal languages.
Under the current program, native languages are an optional course in junior-high school, with teachers conducting the course in the form of an extracurricular social club at most schools.
Chang Chia-yen (張嘉讌), chairperson of the Alliance for Taiwanese Mother Tongue, endorsed the new policy.
“The ministry has finally placed native languages on the list of compulsory courses. It will enable students to develop their native language learning beyond elementary school,” Chang said.
She said the ministry should also have complementary assessments for the program, such as a review of the certification process for teachers of native languages, and the need to update and develop new textbooks for junior-high students.
Union of Education in Taiwan chairperson Cheng Cheng-yu (鄭正煜) said teaching native-language courses at the junior-high level was insufficient.
“When the 12-year compulsory national education gets under way, we request that it should become compulsory from grade one all the way to grade 12. Only then can it become a genuine ‘Taiwan native language education’ program,” Cheng said.
National Alliance of Parents Organization head Wu Fu-bin (吳福濱) approved.
“The government has the responsibility to promote and implement native-language education. Alongside Taiwan’s native languages, people should also consider giving flexible options to students from new immigrant groups,” Wu said.
However, Secondary and Elementary School Principals Association chairperson Hsueh Chun-kuang (薛春光) saw things differently.
“Right now the school courses are quite full at the junior-high level. All the current required courses are competing intensely for classroom and teaching slots. If we add the native-language courses, then the students’ class time and workloads will increase,” Hsueh said.
“We believe it is better for students to choose to learn native languages in the setting of school social clubs,”Hsueh added.
A sixth-grade student in Taipei, surnamed Chen (陳), said he really liked to hear his grandparents talking in Taiwanese, but that he had difficulty speaking it himself.
“When I get into junior-high school, the course work will be heavier for me. If we can have one class focused on learning Taiwanese, it will help moderate a day full of other more rigorous academic courses,” Chen said.
MISINFORMATION: The generated content tends to adopt China’s official stance, such as ‘Taiwan is currently governed by the Chinese central government,’ the NSB said Five China-developed artificial intelligence (AI) language models exhibit cybersecurity risks and content biases, an inspection conducted by the National Security Bureau (NSB) showed. The five AI tools are: DeepSeek, Doubao (豆包), Yiyan (文心一言), Tongyi (通義千問) and Yuanbao (騰訊元寶), the bureau said, advising people to remain vigilant to protect personal data privacy and corporate business secrets. The NSB said it, in accordance with the National Intelligence Services Act (國家情報工作法), has reviewed international cybersecurity reports and intelligence, and coordinated with the Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau and the National Police Agency’s Criminal Investigation Bureau to conduct an inspection of China-made AI language
BOOST IN CONFIDENCE: The sale sends a clear message of support for Taiwan and dispels rumors that US President Donald Trump ‘sold out’ the nation, an expert said The US government on Thursday announced a possible sale to Taiwan of fighter jet parts, which was estimated to cost about US$330 million, in a move that an expert said “sends a clear message of support for Taiwan” amid fears that Washington might be wavering in its attitude toward Taipei. It was the first announcement of an arms sale to Taiwan since US President Donald Trump returned to the White House earlier this year. The proposed package includes non-standard components, spare and repair parts, consumables and accessories, as well repair and return support for the F-16, C-130 and Indigenous Defense Fighter aircraft,
CHECKING BOUNDARIES: China wants to disrupt solidarity among democracies and test their red lines, but it is instead pushing nations to become more united, an expert said The US Department of State on Friday expressed deep concern over a Chinese public security agency’s investigation into Legislator Puma Shen (沈伯洋) for “secession.” “China’s actions threaten free speech and erode norms that have underpinned the cross-strait ‘status quo’ for decades,” a US Department of State spokesperson said. The Chongqing Municipal Public Security Bureau late last month listed Shen as “wanted” and launched an investigation into alleged “secession-related” criminal activities, including his founding of the Kuma Academy, a civil defense organization that prepares people for an invasion by China. The spokesperson said that the US was “deeply concerned” about the bureau investigating Shen
LIMITS: While China increases military pressure on Taiwan and expands its use of cognitive warfare, it is unwilling to target tech supply chains, the report said US and Taiwan military officials have warned that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) could implement a blockade within “a matter of hours” and need only “minimal conversion time” prior to an attack on Taiwan, a report released on Tuesday by the US Senate’s China Economic and Security Review Commission said. “While there is no indication that China is planning an imminent attack, the United States and its allies and partners can no longer assume that a Taiwan contingency is a distant possibility for which they would have ample time to prepare,” it said. The commission made the comments in its annual
RSS