New Taipei to provide free school lunches; Taoyuan free textbooks

Taipei, April 1 (CNA) New Taipei and Taoyuan on Wednesday announced new education subsidy policies, with New Taipei set to provide free school lunches and Taoyuan to offer free textbooks for students.

New Taipei Mayor Hou Yu-ih (侯友宜) of the opposition Kuomintang (KMT) said the city will provide free lunches to all elementary and junior high school students starting Aug. 31.

The policy is expected to benefit around 323,000 students and cost NT$4.84 billion (US$151.55 million) annually, Hou told the New Taipei City Council.

The 2026 budget will be covered in advance, with funding to be formally incorporated into the city's annual budget from 2027 onward, he said.

Hou said the policy was adopted after evaluating family needs, education equity and fiscal sustainability, adding that it would not crowd out other education resources.

The city's Education Department said the measure could save parents about NT$12,000 per year, based on an estimated cost of NT$75 per meal.

Meanwhile, Taoyuan Mayor Chang San-cheng (張善政), also of the KMT, said the city will provide free textbooks to all elementary and junior high school students starting in the 2026 academic year, making it the first special municipality in Taiwan to do so.

The policy is expected to benefit around 196,000 students and cost about NT$600 million annually, Chang said at a Taoyuan City Council meeting.

He said the measure would reduce student expenses by NT$1,500 to NT$1,900 per semester.

Funding will come from the Department of Education's Local Education Development Fund in 2026 before being incorporated into the annual budget the following year.

Taoyuan City Councilor Hsu Chia-jui (許家睿) from the ruling Democratic Progressive Party welcomed the policy's aim of easing the financial burden on parents, but raised concerns about long-term fiscal sustainability and resource allocation.

He also urged the city to ensure adequate support for minority groups in education, such as special and technical education, and warned that the policy could increase the administrative workloads for frontline teachers and staff.