New taipei: New Taipei and Taoyuan on Wednesday unveiled new education subsidy policies, aiming to ease the financial burden on families with school-age children. New Taipei has decided to provide free school lunches, while Taoyuan will offer free textbooks to students.
According to Focus Taiwan, New Taipei Mayor Hou Yu-ih of the opposition Kuomintang (KMT) announced that starting August 31, all elementary and junior high school students in New Taipei will receive free lunches. This policy is expected to benefit approximately 323,000 students and will require an annual budget of NT$4.84 billion (US$151.55 million). Mayor Hou highlighted that this initiative, which is set to be included in the city's annual budget from 2027, was designed after careful consideration of family needs, education equity, and fiscal sustainability. He assured that it would not affect the allocation of other educational resources.
The city's Education Department estimates that this initiative could save parents around NT$12,000 per year, based on the cost of NT$75 per meal. Meanwhile, Taoyuan Mayor Chang San-cheng, also from the KMT, announced a plan to provide free textbooks for all elementary and junior high school students beginning in the 2026 academic year. This initiative will make Taoyuan the first special municipality in Taiwan to implement such a measure, benefiting around 196,000 students with an estimated annual cost of NT$600 million.
Mayor Chang noted that the initiative could reduce student expenses by NT$1,500 to NT$1,900 per semester. Initially, funding will be drawn from the Department of Education's Local Education Development Fund in 2026, before being incorporated into the annual budget the subsequent year.
Taoyuan City Councilor Hsu Chia-jui from the ruling Democratic Progressive Party expressed support for the policy's objective of reducing financial burdens on parents. However, Hsu raised concerns regarding the long-term fiscal sustainability and the allocation of resources. He stressed the need for adequate support for minority groups in education, including special and technical education, and cautioned about potential increased administrative workloads for teachers and staff.