The number of students in Taiwan learning a Southeast Asian language at school is now in the thousands. That’s according to figures from the education ministry released on Thursday.
Immigrants and migrant workers from Southeast Asia are an increasing presence in Taiwan’s society. At the same time, the administration of President Tsai Ing-wen has made strengthening ties with Southeast Asian countries a policy objective. Together, these two factors have created demand for foreign language classes in schools covering the languages of Southeast Asia.
The education ministry says that close to 8000 students are taking a Southeast Asian language class at the elementary or middle school level. Around 400 more students are learning a Southeast Asian language via a long-distance course. Lastly, the education ministry says that over 3000 students are learning a Southeast Asian language at technical and vocational colleges.