The Ministry of Education distributed NT$151 million (US$4.73 million) to 271 high schools nationwide last year to support bilingual education.
The subsidy program is part of the government’s “Bilingual 2030” initiative, which seeks to integrate English into Taiwan’s education system, government and daily life.
With the funds, schools are encouraged to offer courses taught entirely in English, as well as instruct some subjects bilingually and conduct online exchanges with overseas schools, K-12 Education Administration official Yeh Hsin-tsun (葉信村) said.
Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Education
They are also encouraged to design diverse, engaging and life-oriented bilingual learning activities, he added.
The goal is to create a bilingual campus environment where students and teachers learn together, making English not just a classroom subject, but a practical tool for everyday life, Yeh said.
For example, Taichung Municipal Wen-Hua Senior High School held an English presentation competition on sustainable development goals, guiding students to research, organize ideas and present in English, he said.
Students developed critical-thinking skills and expressed themselves entirely in English, showing how it can be used as a medium for learning and not just a language to study, he added.
National Hsinchu Commercial Vocational High School offers workplace English courses that help students gain the English skills necessary for their future, the ministry said.
Courses require students to use English to communicate and express themselves in simulated work environments, accumulating practical experience using English in the workplace, it said.
At Affiliated Taoyuan Agricultural and Industrial Senior High School of National Taipei University of Technology, students give visiting international guests campus tours in English, the ministry said.
The ministry is to collect schools’ experiences to improve policies aimed at expanding bilingual learning in high schools, Yeh said.
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