A free Mandarin-learning program designed to help migrant workers assimilate more easily is to be launched in Taoyuan early next month, the Taoyuan Migrant Workers Service Center announced on Wednesday.
The service center’s Mandarin program is to begin on March 6 and run for eight weeks with classes from 10am to midday every Sunday until April 24.
The program is to focus on language used in the workplace and other general conversation skills, aiming to provide basic knowledge of conversational Mandarin, an official at the center said on Thursday.
The basic-level course would cater to Indonesian, Vietnamese, Philippine and Thai workers who live in Taoyuan, and would split participants into two groups of about 20 to 30 students, with those from Thailand and Indonesia in one group, and those from the Philippines and Vietnam in the other, said the center, which is run by the Taoyuan Labor Bureau.
Splitting students into groups according to nationality would enable teaching staff to translate the instructions into their native languages if needed, it said.
When the eight-week course ends, a small ceremony would be held the following week to award the students certificates for completing the program, it added.
The free course is aimed at breaking down language barriers so that migrant workers can better communicate with their colleagues and employers, and assimilate more easily into Taiwanese society, it said.
Registration has begun for the classes, which are to be held at the city’s New Immigrant Culture Hall, the center said.
In addition to the language classes, the center is also to present a series of free dance classes, and arts and crafts activities on Sundays in March and the first Sunday in April from 1pm to 3pm, it said.
A street dance class is to be held on March 6, a 3D flower jelly-making class on March 13, a paper flower art class on March 20, a balloon art class on March 27 and a Hakka textile dyeing class on April 3, it said.
Migrant workers are encouraged to enroll for the activities, as participation is limited to about 15 students per class, the center said.
As of the end of last year, there were 113,247 migrant workers in Taoyuan — 37,719 from Vietnam, 32,881 from the Philippines, 25,770 from Indonesia and 16,877 from Thailand, Ministry of Labor data showed.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
RSS