TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Minister of Education Pan Wen-chung (潘文忠) said Wednesday (Sept. 8) that Taiwan aims to implement immersive language environments for English classes in 60% of elementary and junior high schools by 2024. 

Pan told reporters that in 2021, the ministry will begin enabling schools to use English even in some non-language classes too, CNA reported. 

The goal is to achieve immersive language environments for English classes in 60% of schools below the senior high school level while teaching some other subjects in English at one-seventh of all schools. By 2030, the minister said he hoped to take the first initiative nationwide while expanding the latter to one-third of schools. 

Pan added that beginning this year, 50 senior high schools will open experimental bilingual classes. Next year, he continued, Taiwan will have more foreign teachers than ever and will do its best to retain them. 

He said that the ministry had directed National Taiwan Normal University and National Chung Cheng University to set up counseling centers for foreign teachers. 

The ministry will also subsidize part of these teachers’ living expenses, including necessities, transportation, and accommodation, he added.