TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU) recently passed a national language development measure that encourages full-time faculty to teach courses in the country's native languages by raising their pay.

These languages include Taiwanese, Hakka, Indigenous tongues, the Matsu dialect, and Taiwan Sign Language, CNA reported.

According to an NTNU press release on Monday (Jan. 3), starting in February, instructors who teach using any of these languages will be eligible for a 50% increase in their hourly wage. If they open new classes, they will be eligible for an additional NT$20,000 (US$720) teaching materials subsidy per class.

NTNU President Wu Cheng-chih (吳正己) said that as the school makes an all-out effort to turn itself into a “bilingual university,” it’s also actively working to revive and normalize the country's native languages.

The university pointed out that these languages are important assets for Taiwan, and it is hoped that the new initiative will be emulated by other schools, groups, and government units across the country, per CNA.