Allowances for raising children are to be double what they are now following planned increases in August and next year, the Executive Yuan said yesterday.
Parents of children under the age of five are eligible for an allowance of NT$2,500 (US$88.08) per month, which is to be increased by NT$1,000 from August, K-12 Education Administration Deputy Director-General Hsu Li-chuan (許麗娟) told a news conference in Taipei after a meeting at the Executive Yuan.
In August next year, the allowances would be raised by NT$1,500 to NT$5,000 per month, Hsu said.
Photo: CNA
At least 870,000 people are expected to benefit from the increased payments, Minister of Education Pan Wen-chung (潘文忠) said.
Moreover, from August households that receive unpaid parental leave allowances or subsidies for disadvantaged people are to be eligible for child-rearing allowances, the ministry said in a statement.
Parents of children aged two to six enrolled at public, nonprofit or quasi-public kindergartens are to have their monthly tuition reduced by NT$1,000 from August, Hsu said.
Monthly fees at such schools are currently NT$2,500, NT$3,500 and NT$4,500 respectively, she said.
In August next year, the school fees are to be lowered further, by NT$500 per month, she said, adding that parents would pay monthly fees of NT$1,000 at public kindergartens, NT$2,000 at nonprofit kindergartens and NT$3,000 at quasi-public kindergartens.
Furthermore, the Ministry of Health and Welfare is to increase the capacity of public childcare facilities for children under the age of two by 9,000 openings through 2024, she said.
By 2024, the Ministry of Education is to increase the number of spots available at public and nonprofit kindergartens for children aged two to six by 55,000, she said.
By 2023, government funding for the care of children aged six or under is to increase by nearly NT$70 billion from 2016 levels, she said.
The government in 2016 invested NT$15.4 billion into such programs, Hsu said.
This year, the two ministries plan to spend a combined NT$55.7 billion, she said.
In 2023, the ministries are expected to jointly budget NT$85 billion to fund related costs, she said.
The policies are to encourage people to marry and have children, Executive Yuan Secretary-General Li Men-yen (李孟諺) said.
Additional reporting by CNA
DEFENDING DEMOCRACY: Taiwan shares the same values as those that fought in WWII, and nations must unite to halt the expansion of a new authoritarian bloc, Lai said The government yesterday held a commemoration ceremony for Victory in Europe (V-E) Day, joining the rest of the world for the first time to mark the anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe. Taiwan honoring V-E Day signifies “our growing connections with the international community,” President William Lai (賴清德) said at a reception in Taipei on the 80th anniversary of V-E Day. One of the major lessons of World War II is that “authoritarianism and aggression lead only to slaughter, tragedy and greater inequality,” Lai said. Even more importantly, the war also taught people that “those who cherish peace cannot
Taiwanese Olympic badminton men’s doubles gold medalist Wang Chi-lin (王齊麟) and his new partner, Chiu Hsiang-chieh (邱相榤), clinched the men’s doubles title at the Yonex Taipei Open yesterday, becoming the second Taiwanese team to win a title in the tournament. Ranked 19th in the world, the Taiwanese duo defeated Kang Min-hyuk and Ki Dong-ju of South Korea 21-18, 21-15 in a pulsating 43-minute final to clinch their first doubles title after teaming up last year. Wang, the men’s doubles gold medalist at the 2020 and 2024 Olympics, partnered with Chiu in August last year after the retirement of his teammate Lee Yang
The Philippines yesterday criticized a “high-risk” maneuver by a Chinese vessel near the disputed Scarborough Shoal (Huangyan Island, 黃岩島) in a rare incident involving warships from the two navies. The Scarborough Shoal — a triangular chain of reefs and rocks in the contested South China Sea — has been a flash point between the countries since China seized it from the Philippines in 2012. Taiwan also claims the shoal. Monday’s encounter took place approximately 11.8 nautical miles (22km) southeast” of the Scarborough Shoal, the Philippine military said, during ongoing US-Philippine military exercises that Beijing has criticized as destabilizing. “The Chinese frigate BN 554 was
US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer began talks with high-ranking Chinese officials in Switzerland yesterday aiming to de-escalate a dispute that threatens to cut off trade between the world’s two biggest economies and damage the global economy. The US delegation has begun meetings in Geneva with a Chinese delegation led by Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng (何立峰), Xinhua News Agency said. Diplomats from both sides also confirmed that the talks have begun, but spoke anonymously and the exact location of the talks was not made public. Prospects for a major breakthrough appear dim, but there is
RSS