Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

‘Bentu’ education cannot wait

Taipei Times Editorial

While the Ministry of Education’s decision to expand compulsory classes for bentu (本土, “local” or “native”) languages to the junior-high school level should be applauded, it raises questions about attitudes toward these languages.

On Saturday, the ministry announced that seventh and eighth-grade students from next year would have one mandatory weekly session of Hoklo (also known as Taiwanese), Hakka, an Aboriginal language or Taiwan Sign Language, while the subjects would be optional for ninth-grade students.

Third nurse infected in hospital cluster

Taipei Times

Taoyuan General Hospital in the city’s Taoyuan District is pictured yesterday.
Photo: CNA

The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday reported the fifth COVID-19 case in a cluster infection at a Taoyuan hospital, where four other medical workers were confirmed to have been infected over the past week.

Pompeo secures close Taiwan ties

Chin Heng-wei 金恒煒

Like a thunderbolt out of the blue, with only 11 days remaining of US President Donald Trump’s term, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Saturday last week announced that the US Department of State had, effective immediately, lifted all “self-imposed” restrictions on how US diplomats and other government officials engage with their Taiwanese counterparts.

Pompeo’s announcement immediately triggered a backlash. Criticisms leveled by former US National Security Council director for China, Taiwan and Mongolia affairs Evan Medeiros, who served in the administration of former US president Barack Obama, were representative of the disapproving reaction.

Virus exposed Taiwan, China, US

Jerome Keating

The year 2020 will go down in history. Certainly, if for nothing else, it will be remembered as the year of the COVID-19 pandemic and the continuing impact it has had on the world. All nations have had to deal with it; none escaped.

As a virus, COVID-19 has known no bounds. It has no agenda or ideology; it champions no cause. There is no way to bully it, gaslight it or bargain with it. Impervious to any hype, posturing, propaganda or commands, it ignores such and simply attacks.

All nations, big or small, are on a level playing field when facing it. They either handle it or grapple with the consequences.

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