More than 860 schools across Taiwan participated in remote learning courses of Indigenous languages during the 2023 academic year, according to the Education Ministry on Wednesday.
In recent years, many schools have had fewer students signing up to learn Indigenous languages and so have not been able to open full classes. The ministry says that offering remote learning breaks geographical restrictions and provides students with equal learning opportunities.
The ministry says that in some areas it is difficult to find teachers. The National Kinmen Senior High School on the outlying islands of Kinmen has six Indigenous students but has found it difficult to recruit language teachers due to geographical constraints. The school therefore offers weekly livestream classes in the Amis and Bunun languages to protect the rights of the students to learn their ethnic languages.
Hsieh Ho-ying (謝和英), a Yami language teacher residing on Orchid Island, was previously limited to teaching students in the local area. After the implementation of distance learning, Hsieh teaches the Yami language and culture through live stream, contributing to the preservation and transmission of Indigenous heritage to the next generation.