Free Chinese-language classes in Taipei for Indonesian migrant workers are to begin on Sunday to help them better communicate with their employers and gain additional skills, a Taipei City Government official said yesterday.
Two classes are to be held per day over the next eight weeks with a break on Sept. 15, the Mid-Autumn Festival weekend, Taipei Foreign and Disabled Labor Office Deputy Director Rex Huang (黃毓銘) said.
Coursework is to focus on self-expression, communication, writing and Taiwanese culture, he said, adding that the syllabus is designed to give Indonesian caregivers a set of skills they can use even when they return home.
“The course is designed this way, because more than 90 percent of migrant workers in Taipei are caregivers, and we hope to provide them with the basic skill of being able to communicate with their employers and the people they are looking after,” Huang said.
Chinese-language ability would also allow migrants to assimilate more easily into society, he added.
“Let us say they get sick and need to see a doctor,” Huang said. “Of course, they can seek other channels of assistance, but we would like to know that they have the ability to directly explain their health problems to a physician.”
While the course is designed for Indonesian migrants in Taipei, those living in other parts of the nation are also welcome to join, Huang said.
“When migrant workers come to Taiwan, they might stay as long as 14 years, and it is only fair that we give back something, as they are giving us their best years,” he said.
The classes are the second round in a training program initiated by the office on Sunday last week that includes caregiving, cooking, housework and cosmology.
On Aug. 11, another eight-week program with two classes per day and a break on Sept. 15 is to begin, the office said.
The classes are to be held at 7 Qingdao W Rd in Zhongzheng District (中正). Those interested can register by calling 02-2366-1368 or online at https://ppt.cc/fhXBPx.
As of the end of June, there were 707,954 migrant workers in Taiwan, with the most coming from Indonesia (269,826), followed by Vietnam (222,938), the Philippines (154,685) and Thailand (60,503), according to the Ministry of Labor.
There were 46,554 migrant workers in Taipei as of the end of May, 92.5 percent of whom were working as caregivers, office statistics showed.
The National Immigration Agency (NIA) said yesterday that it will revoke the dependent-based residence permit of a Chinese social media influencer who reportedly “openly advocated for [China’s] unification through military force” with Taiwan. The Chinese national, identified by her surname Liu (劉), will have her residence permit revoked in accordance with Article 14 of the “Measures for the permission of family- based residence, long-term residence and settlement of people from the Mainland Area in the Taiwan Area,” the NIA said in a news release. The agency explained it received reports that Liu made “unifying Taiwan through military force” statements on her online
A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck off Taitung County at 1:09pm today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 53km northeast of Taitung County Hall at a depth of 12.5km, CWA data showed. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Taitung County and Hualien County on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Nantou County, Chiayi County, Yunlin County, Kaohsiung and Tainan, the data showed. There were no immediate reports of damage following the quake.
Tung Tzu-hsien (童子賢), a Taiwanese businessman and deputy convener of the nation’s National Climate Change Committee, said yesterday that “electrical power is national power” and nuclear energy is “very important to Taiwan.” Tung made the remarks, suggesting that his views do not align with the country’s current official policy of phasing out nuclear energy, at a forum organized by the Taiwan People’s Party titled “Challenges and Prospects of Taiwan’s AI Industry and Energy Policy.” “Taiwan is currently pursuing industries with high added- value and is developing vigorously, and this all requires electricity,” said the chairman
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) is to begin his one-year alternative military service tomorrow amid ongoing legal issues, the Ministry of the Interior said yesterday. Wang, who last month was released on bail of NT$150,000 (US$4,561) as he faces charges of allegedly attempting to evade military service and forging documents, has been ordered to report to Taipei Railway Station at 9am tomorrow, the Alternative Military Service Training and Management Center said. The 33-year-old would join about 1,300 other conscripts in the 263rd cohort of general alternative service for training at the Chenggong Ling camp in Taichung, a center official told reporters. Wang would first