TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of Education has allocated NT$83 million (US$2.62 million) to help public elementary and junior high schools hire foreign English teaching assistants as part of efforts to strengthen bilingual education and integrate English into everyday campus life.
The ministry said the English Language Teaching Assistant Program, launched in the 2021 academic year, is designed to make English learning more relevant to children’s daily lives, per CNA. Foreign English teaching assistants work alongside school teachers to help create practical, situational English learning environments.
In the 2025-26 academic year, the K-12 Education Administration allocated NT$83 million to help 611 schools across Taiwan recruit foreign English teaching assistants. The goal is to encourage students to engage with English through natural interaction and gradually integrate the language into daily school settings.
The K-12 Education Administration said the program aims to help schools develop diverse bilingual learning models tailored to their characteristics and curricular needs, per Liberty Times. Through cultural exchange and interaction with foreign teaching assistants, students are expected to move from shyness and reluctance to speak toward greater confidence and willingness to express themselves, while also expanding their global outlook.
At Ruiting Elementary School in New Taipei City, foreign English teaching assistants and local teachers help bring English into everyday life through activities such as field-based learning, farm-to-table experiences, international exchanges, and ordering food in English. The administration said the activities help students build confidence in speaking English through real-world interaction, making English a bridge to daily life, interpersonal connections, and the wider world.
In Chiayi City, Jhihhang Elementary School has introduced weekend English sports camps and bilingual drone camps that integrate English with sports, technology, and sustainability education. Through hands-on activities, active participation, and creative challenges, students naturally use English as they explore new knowledge, the administration said.
