Taoyuan County Government yesterday extended English-language classes to first graders at 22 elementary schools in the county on a one-year trial basis.
Taoyuan County Commissioner John Wu (吳志揚) said yesterday that it was very important to strengthen English-language class for students in Taoyuan because the nation’s main international airport is located in the county.
The extension will apply to all of the county’s 187 elementary schools next year and the county plans to train 253 more English teachers in addition to the 530 certified English teachers it already has, he said.
Elementary-school students usually begin English-language classes when they enter third grade. However, some cities and counties, such as Taipei City, have students that take the classes as early as first grade, while Taipei County has added three additional English-related classes to the elementary school curriculum each week.
The Ministry of Education does not encourage nor does it oppose local governments’ English-language education policies, but it does not provide funding for extended programs.
In related news, data released by the ministry’s Department of Statistics showed that the number of foreign-language cram schools in the nation has increased significantly over the past nine years.
The figure grew by 3,300 to 5,300 as of the end of last year, the data showed.
The number of human arts and science cram schools rose by almost three times in nine years to 9,642 as of the end of last year, the data showed.
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