In the hope of encouraging more births in the area, Hualien County’s Fuli Township (富里) is offering a subsidy of NT$100,000 for every child born to couples registered in the area. Some people, lured by the not insignificant amount of cash, have registered their residence in the area, but then moved away again.
Fuli residents have hit back, saying that if people have no intention of settling in the area they should not receive the subsidy. Their objection is spot-on, because what rural areas need is a young population and for people to give birth to more children if the area is to have any hope of thriving.
There are many communities in the hills of Nantou County with pleasant weather and wonderful scenery, and although a minority of the people moving to the area have done so for the more relaxed lifestyle, the majority are retirees. Generally, it is only on the weekends or vacations that young people visit, families in tow, but they only stay for a brief time, and are unlikely to settle in the area.
Offering subsidies for childbirth might increase the number of newborns officially registered in the locale, but it will not draw young people to the area in any meaningful way. If rural communities want to encourage young couples to settle down in their areas, they must give serious thought to how to make them want to stay.
The most important thing is the living environment, which would include basic infrastructure, the quality of the schools and the leisure activities available. Generally speaking, the infrastructure and facilities in rural areas are pretty sparse, and children do not have anywhere to go, which is a real headache for parents.
Young parents take education very seriously, and would do everything they can in the hope that their children obtain a good education so that they are more competitive in the workplace when they leave school.
Today’s young people also put a premium on their leisure time, and with the sparse facilities available in the countryside, they would be concerned that if they move there it would be like living the life of a semi-hermit, an idea that they would find hugely challenging.
Instead of dishing out cash in return for attractive-looking household registration statistics, councils would be better served looking at how to improve the overall quality of life in the area to draw young couples to live and raise their children there.
Chen Chi-nung is the principal of Shuili Junior High School in Nantou County.
Translated by Paul Cooper
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