TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Education Minister Cheng Ying-Yao (鄭英耀) announced Thursday (Nov. 14) plans to implement English-only instruction in elementary and middle school English classes. Cheng emphasized that the Ministry of Education (MOE, 教育部) will not mandate bilingual teaching in other subjects.
The Presidential Office (總統府) and Executive Yuan (行政院) have not commented, but President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) reportedly believes a policy review is necessary. According to the National Development Council's (國家發展委員會) guidelines, 60% of schools nationwide are expected to implement English-only instruction in English classes this year, with some schools also experimenting with bilingual education in other subjects.
However, the policy has led to local governments pursuing performance metrics, resulting in issues such as Chinese teachers' exams focusing on English rather than Chinese. In response, the National Federation of Teachers Unions (NFTU, 全國教師工會總聯合會) urged the MOE to disclose any policy adjustments to inform teachers promptly.
NFTU Chairman Hou Chun-liang (侯俊良) highlighted the education minister's understanding of the challenges in bilingual education and called for further clarification of policy direction. Hsien-Hao Sebastian Liao (廖咸浩), dean of the National Taiwan University Institute of Advanced Studies in the Humanities and Social Science (台大人文社會高等研究院), expressed optimism about the minister's education policy direction, noting that learning in one's native language is the norm.
