TAIPEI (TVBS News) — City officials unveiled plans Thursday (July 3) to broaden Taipei's nutritional support program for young students, extending the reach of its free milk initiative before the start of the new academic year. Taipei's Department of Education (教育局), the municipal agency overseeing educational policies, revealed that the program — first launched in April — currently provides one bottle of milk or soy milk weekly to roughly 175,000 children enrolled in both public and private elementary schools and kindergartens across Taiwan's capital city.
Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) addressed the city's legislative body during a recent council session, announcing a significant modification to the program's eligibility criteria. The mayor explained that beginning next semester, the city will determine qualification based on household registration status rather than school enrollment location. This policy adjustment will extend benefits to children officially registered as Taipei residents even if they attend educational institutions in neighboring municipalities or counties. City education officials cited encouraging participation data, noting a consistent 70% redemption rate since the program's April launch, as justification for expanding age eligibility to encompass all children from 2 to 12 years old.
Municipal administrators indicated that any potential extension of the program to operate continuously throughout the calendar year would hinge on comprehensive evaluations of both its educational impact and financial sustainability. Chang Sze-kang (張斯綱), a city council representative from the Kuomintang (KMT, 國民黨), Taiwan's main opposition party, advocated for the administration to ensure nutritional support continues for economically disadvantaged students during the winter and summer academic recesses, when regular school-based nutrition programs typically suspend operations. ◼