More than 2,000 people sat Tai-wan's first-ever Aboriginal language proficiency tests held simultaneously at eight locations across the country on Saturday.
Successful candidates will be issued certificates that can be used when applying for teaching jobs.
Taiwan launched its formal Hokkien, Hakka and Aboriginal language courses for elementary and junior high schools this year.
Previously, a serious shortage of Aboriginal-language teachers had prompted the Ministry of Education to approve informally hired teachers certified by specified language institutes.
Yesterday's tests were commissioned by the Cabinet-level Council of Aboriginal Affairs and organized by National Chengchi University. It will be up to the schools to decide whether or not to hire the certified candidates as teachers.
"Many Aboriginal people are worried that their children may be uncompetitive [if they do not speak Mandarin], so they speak Mandarin to their kids. Because of this and other factors, fewer and fewer young Aborigines are now able to speak their languages," said Lin Hsiu-che (
The examinations included 38 tests for the major Aboriginal languages and some of their dialects. Those sitting tests for the Ami language, for example, were offered specific tests on the Northern, Maran and Hengchun dialects.
The tests did not require any particular educational credentials and there was no limit on age, nationality or ethnic background of the candidates.
People from the Ami tribe accounted for around one-third of the examinees, while those from the Bunun tribe accounted for around 20 percent. The Ami tribe accounts for around half of Taiwan's Aboriginal population of 400,000, while the Bunun tribe accounts for 14 percent.
In related news, the Executive Yuan on Saturday held a ceremony honoring 14 individuals and organizations for their contribution to the development of Taiwan's Aboriginal society.
Among those honored were Bjarne Gislefoss, a veteran Nor-wegian nurse who served at a Christian hospital in Puli for 50 years, and his wife Alfhild.
FOUR DESIGNATED AREAS: Notices were issued for live-fire exercises in waters south and northwest of Penghu, northeast of Keelung and west of Kaohsiung, they said The military is planning three major annual exercises across the army, navy and air force this month, with the navy’s “Hai Chiang” (海強, “Sea Strong”) drills running from today through Friday, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday. The Hai Chiang exercise, which is to take place in waters surrounding Taiwan, would feature P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft and S-70C anti-submarine helicopters, the ministry said, adding that the drills aim to bolster the nation’s offshore defensive capabilities. China has intensified military and psychological pressure against Taiwan, repeatedly sending warplanes and vessels into areas near the nation’s air defense identification zone and across
FORCED LABOR: A US court listed three Taiwanese and nine firms based in Taiwan in its indictment, with eight of the companies registered at the same address Nine companies registered in Taiwan, as well as three Taiwanese, on Tuesday were named by the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) as Specially Designated Nationals (SDNs) as a result of a US federal court indictment. The indictment unsealed at the federal court in Brooklyn, New York, said that Chen Zhi (陳志), a dual Cambodian-British national, is being indicted for fraud conspiracy, money laundering and overseeing Prince Holding Group’s forced-labor scam camps in Cambodia. At its peak, the company allegedly made US$30 million per day, court documents showed. The US government has seized Chen’s noncustodial wallet, which contains
SUPPLY CHAIN: Taiwan’s advantages in the drone industry include rapid production capacity that is independent of Chinese-made parts, the economic ministry said The Executive Yuan yesterday approved plans to invest NT$44.2 billion (US$1.44 billion) into domestic production of uncrewed aerial vehicles over the next six years, bringing Taiwan’s output value to more than NT$40 billion by 2030 and making the nation Asia’s democratic hub for the drone supply chain. The proposed budget has NT$33.8 billion in new allocations and NT$10.43 billion in existing funds, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said. Under the new development program, the public sector would purchase nearly 100,000 drones, of which 50,898 would be for civil and government use, while 48,750 would be for national defense, it said. The Ministry of
SENATE RECOMMENDATION: The National Defense Authorization Act encourages the US secretary of defense to invite Taiwan’s navy to participate in the exercises in Hawaii The US Senate on Thursday last week passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2026, which strongly encourages the US secretary of defense to invite Taiwan’s naval forces to participate in the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise, as well as allocating military aid of US$1 billion for Taiwan. The bill, which authorizes appropriations for the military activities of the US Department of Defense, military construction and other purposes, passed with 77 votes in support and 20 against. While the NDAA authorizes about US$925 billion of defense spending, the Central News Agency yesterday reported that an aide of US
RSS