The Ministry of Education on Sunday announced changes to the government's “Bilingual 2030” plan following a request from President William Lai (賴清德).
The plan was first formulated in 2018 with the aim of introducing bilingual teaching in some subjects and creating an environment for students to use English in everyday life.
Photo: Lo Pei-de, Taipei Times
However, concerns from teachers have encouraged Lai to change direction, and instead the plan is to emphasize teaching English-language classes exclusively in English, rather than using English to teach other subjects, the ministry said.
The ministry said it plans to establish “English villages” in schools, as well as help universities support all-English programs.
The three main goals of the “Bilingual 2030” policy are widespread improvement, bridging the gap between rural and urban areas and focusing on cultivation in the hopes of providing students with frequent and practical English-learning opportunities, it said.
To meet these goals and ensure students are using English both in and out of school, the ministry is to implement all-English teaching in English classes, as well as bilingual lessons in select subjects, it said.
It would also establish partnerships with foreign sister schools and promote a new online platform called “Cool English,” it added.
Part of the initiative also involves helping more schools create English-friendly environments on campus and working with communities to give students more opportunities for English communication, the ministry said.
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