Taipei residents may soon have a novel pasttime off the coast of northern Taiwan, given the successful test run yesterday of the new "Blue Highway"(藍色公路) pleasure fishing boat services.
The test run started from Tamshui's Second Fishing Harbor(第二漁港), stopped over at Shihmen(石門) at the northern tip of the island and ended at Yehliu(野柳).
The Taipei County Government has started accepting applications from private boat operators to run pleasure fishing boats on the line.
The county plans to spend NT$600 million on jetties, tourist centers and other facilities for vacationers.
The Keelung and Ilan county governments have also climbed on the bandwagon, stretching the future route up to Wushih(烏石) Harbor in Ilan County.
But the services will be limited to pleasure fishing boat due to Taiwan's current coastal maritime laws, according to Taipei County officials. The county will seek revision of related laws to develop full-fledged pleasure boat services along the coast, the officials said.
Taiwan's entire coastline was offlimits to the public throughout the martial law era. Portions of the coastline still remain inaccessible to the public today.
The government is aiming to recruit 1,096 foreign English teachers and teaching assistants this year, the Ministry of Education said yesterday. The foreign teachers would work closely with elementary and junior-high instructors to create and teach courses, ministry official Tsai Yi-ching (蔡宜靜) said. Together, they would create an immersive language environment, helping to motivate students while enhancing the skills of local teachers, she said. The ministry has since 2021 been recruiting foreign teachers through the Taiwan Foreign English Teacher Program, which offers placement, salary, housing and other benefits to eligible foreign teachers. Two centers serving northern and southern Taiwan assist in recruiting and training
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