1. Overview

The ‘Program on Developing Indigenous Education (2021-2025)’ (hereinafter referred to as ‘this program’) was jointly established and promoted by the Ministry of Education (MOE) and the Council of Indigenous Peoples (abbreviated as CIP) in accordance with Article 9 of the ‘Education Act for Indigenous Peoples’, and continued the ‘5-Year Project of Indigenous Peoples Education Development and Improvement’ (from 2006 to 2015 this title was adjusted to the ‘5-Year Medium Project for Independent Cases of Indigenous Peoples Education Development’, and from 2016-2020 was adjusted to the ‘5-Year Mid-term Project on Developing Indigenous Education’) which was commenced in 1993, thereby continuously promoting indigenous education systematically.

According to the contents of the ‘Education Act for Indigenous Peoples’, indigenous education shall have as its aims the safeguarding of the dignity and honor of indigenous people, ensuring the continuing vitality of each indigenous person, advancing the well-being of indigenous people, and boosting indigenous people’s sense of collective pride in their identity, as well as ensuring the implementation of the right of individual indigenous people to education and the collective rights to education of the indigenous peoples. Based on the fundamentals of the aforementioned project, this program takes ‘establishing a comprehensive system, deepening national consciousness, cultivating ethnic groups’ talents, and respecting diverse collective pride’ as guidelines to establish major objectives and to organize the important directions of the development of indigenous education throughout the next five years. The implementation of this program is five years, starting from January, 2021 to December, 2025.

2. Objects and Focus

There are 7 objects, 12 promotional strategies, 64 practical measures, and 14 main performance indicators in this program. Among these, the divisions of matters for the MOE and the CIP included in the promotional strategies, are:

1. preparing fundamental infrastructure,
2. promoting administrative support measures,
3. developing courses and teaching materials,
4. creating indigenous language learning environments,
5. implementing teacher cultivation and recruitment,
6. fostering teacher professional development,
7. deepening school assistance and adaptive development of indigenous students in primary, junior high and senior high school,
8. strengthening support systems and talent cultivation of indigenous students in universities and colleges,
9. fostering the cultivation of sports talents,
10. facilitating youth development and international participation,
11. promoting lifelong education, family education, and digital learning,
12. and popularizing the promotion of indigenous education and multicultural education.

These matters have been developed in order to achieve the 7 following major objectives:

1. Constructing a comprehensive education system

Experimental education policies of indigenous peoples will be continuously promoted. In addition, construction of the knowledge systems of indigenous peoples will be commenced, and the knowledge fundamentals of course development for the indigenous education system will be supported, thereby creating learning environments where general education and ethnic education can be conducted and forwarded simultaneously.  Also focus on bicultural ability development of both general subject knowledge and ethnic culture knowledge will be developed, in order to cultivate these students to become the new generation of indigenous talents that can gain a foothold in society and pass on their ethnic culture.

2. Preparing an administrative support system

The administrative support system of the central government will be constantly strengthened, and a unit (person) specifically responsible for indigenous peoples’ general education, indigenous education councils, and indigenous education projects of local governments will be specifically regulated as well. Through the collaboration of the central and local governments, the implementation of the abovementioned regulations, the optimization of administrative operations, and the participation of ethnic groups will be jointly promoted.

3. Deepening ethnic education

Since the ‘Education Act for Indigenous Peoples’ legislation, the legacy of indigenous languages and culture has always been a policy fundamental. The following actions will then be taken as developing directions, which include:

• optimizing courses and teachings of indigenous languages,
• utilizing the knowledge systems of indigenous peoples,
• researching and planning the curriculum of ethnic education,
• implementing ethnic education courses in indigenous key schools,
• and promoting experimental indigenous education with ethnic education as core continuously.

4. Strengthening teacher cultivation

In response to the needs of constructing a comprehensive education system and deepening ethnic education, in indigenous languages and ethnic education teachers’ policies, the MOE will continue to review and improve the gap between the needs of teachers and the current teacher cultivation system. In addition, relevant learning contents about indigenous peoples are systematically included in courses in each domain of the ‘Curriculum Guidelines of 12-Year Basic Education’, guiding people to understand indigenous peoples, and opening a new stage of ethnic equality education in our nation. Therefore, how to fully enhance competencies in the literacy of indigenous peoples’ issues in pre-service education and in-service training for general teachers, is the main focus of strengthening teacher cultivation.

5. Cultivating ethnic groups’ talents

The existing talent cultivation policies will be continued, and schooling pathways will be facilitated in order to cultivate all domains of professional talents needed for the social development of ethnic groups. Adaptive guidance and support systems will also be refined, and recognition and identity of ethnic culture for professional indigenous talents will receive attention, thereby assisting indigenous peoples to establish talents groups that are beneficial to the development of the self-governance of indigenous peoples.

6. Promoting lifelong education for indigenous peoples

Lifelong education for indigenous peoples will be promoted, including: promoting indigenous tribal universities, and events of social education of indigenous peoples and lifelong education. In addition, plans to promote family education will be formulated and implemented based on the specific needs of indigenous families. Digital Opportunity Centers in indigenous peoples’ regions will be strengthened, in order to provide online real-time companionship and learning to indigenous students, and cultivate and train digital information literacy and abilities for indigenous peoples..

7. Expanding the target range of indigenous peoples education

Under the structure of the ‘Education Act for Indigenous Peoples’, the teaching of learning content related to indigenous peoples’ issues in each domain of the ‘Curriculum Guidelines of 12-Year Basic Education’ will be implemented and literacy about indigenous peoples education and multicultural education of teachers in primary and senior high school stage will be strengthened. In addition, indigenous peoples education and multicultural education of staff in each agency and public enterprise and members of society will be promoted, and students, teachers, civil service personnel and the public will be guided to understand and respect indigenous peoples, thus creating a social environment of ethnic equality.