The Taoyuan City Government announced it will subsidize textbooks for all public and private elementary and junior-high students starting in August. This education support initiative will invest approximately NT$643 million per school year, benefiting up to 196,000 children. Each student will save between NT$1,500 and NT$1,900 per semester under the program.
Mayor Simon Chang said the city will allocate NT$321.5 million for the next school term from the Local Education Development Fund. The city will incorporate future funding into the formal budget process to sustain the policy. Taoyuan becomes the first of Taiwan’s six special municipalities to fully subsidize textbooks.
This education support policy reduces the financial burden on parents while allowing families to invest in other educational materials. Chang has previously implemented free school lunches for all public and private elementary and junior-high students since taking office in 2022. In February, the local government also began offering free fresh milk for kindergarten and elementary-school children.
Once textbooks receive full subsidies, families will only need to cover expenses such as uniforms and parent association fees starting next semester. Taoyuan has the lowest average age, highest birthrate, and fastest growing population among Taiwan’s municipalities. Therefore, the city government must support parents with various expenses to combat the effects of Taiwan’s aging population.
In a parallel development, New Taipei City Government announced it will offer free school lunches to all elementary and junior-high students starting on August 31. This education support initiative will benefit approximately 323,000 students with an annual budget of NT$4.84 billion. Mayor Hou You-yi stated that initial funding will come from advanced payments, and the city will incorporate formal budget allocation next year.
The New Taipei City Department of Education will provide a fixed subsidy of NT$75 per meal. NT$60 will cover fees previously paid by parents, while NT$15 will be allocated by the government for ingredients. The policy is expected to save families NT$12,000 per year.
Both cities have taken significant steps to ease the financial burden on families. Taoyuan’s textbook subsidy complements its existing free lunch and free milk programs. New Taipei’s expansion of free lunches builds on its previous efforts to support families with school-age children. A household with three school-age children in Taoyuan could save up to NT$5,700 per semester on textbooks alone. Similarly, a family in New Taipei would save NT$12,000 annually on lunch expenses.
Taoyuan’s status as the first special municipality to fully subsidize textbooks sets a precedent that other cities may follow. New Taipei’s free lunch expansion similarly demonstrates how local governments can leverage budgets to support families. The timing of both announcements ahead of the new school year allows families to plan their budgets accordingly. Parents in Taoyuan and New Taipei can now expect reduced educational expenses starting in August.
