New Taipei City and Taoyuan yesterday announced new education subsidy policies, with New Taipei City to provide free school lunches and Taoyuan to offer free textbooks for students.
New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜), of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), said that the city would provide free lunches to all elementary and junior-high school students from Aug. 31.
The policy is expected to benefit about 323,000 students and cost NT$4.84 billion (US$151.49 million) annually, Hou told the New Taipei City Council.
Photo courtesy of the New Taipei City Education Department
This year’s budget would be covered in advance, with funding to be formally incorporated into the city’s annual budget from next year onward, he said.
The policy was adopted after evaluating family needs, education equity and fiscal sustainability, Hou said, adding that it would not crowd out other education resources.
The measure could save parents about NT$12,000 per year, based on an estimated cost of NT$75 per meal, the city’s Education Department said.
Meanwhile, Taoyuan Mayor Chang San-cheng (張善政), also of the KMT, said that his city would provide free textbooks to all elementary and junior-high school students starting in the 2026 academic year, making it the first special municipality in Taiwan to do so.
The policy is expected to benefit about 196,000 students and cost about NT$600 million annually, Chang told a Taoyuan City Council meeting.
The measure would reduce student expenses by NT$1,500 to NT$1,900 per semester, he said.
Funding would come from the Department of Education’s Local Education Development Fund this year, before being incorporated into the annual budget next year.
Taoyuan City Councilor Hsu Chia-jui (許家睿), of the Democratic Progressive Party, welcomed the policy’s aim of easing the financial burden on parents, but raised concerns about long-term fiscal sustainability and resource allocation.
He also urged Taoyuan to ensure adequate support for minority groups in education, such as special and technical education, and said that the policy could increase the administrative workloads for frontline teachers and staff.
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