TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Democratic Progressive Party legislator Chen Pei-yu (陳培瑜) is pushing for amendments to the Early Childhood Education and Care Act (幼照法) to secure a fixed budget for book purchases and establish positions for reading promotion teachers in kindergartens. Chen recently criticized the current lack of a regular book purchase budget in Taiwan's kindergartens, which often results in children using damaged books or depending on teachers to buy books voluntarily.
Chen pointed out that an amendment to the Primary and Junior High School Act (國民教育法) last year required government departments to allocate annual budgets for book purchases in junior high and elementary schools. However, kindergartens have been left out of this initiative. Chen also highlighted that while parents have good intentions for shared reading, they often lack proper reading techniques due to their own limited reading experiences as children.
Drawing from her experience as a former bookstore owner in Hualien, Chen observed that many parents resort to ineffective methods like purchasing numerous workbooks or teaching word recognition separately, which may lead to children's disinterest in reading. To combat this, Chen proposed stationing dedicated reading promotion teachers in kindergartens to enhance the reading environment and transform early educational experiences for young learners.
