In his Sept. 5 column in the Chinese-language Apple Daily, Yunlin District Court Judge Wang Tzu-jung (王子榮) used teachers not receiving equal pay for hours worked to show how the salary structure for teachers has many controversial and unfair aspects.
Only sweeping reform of the pay structure can boost morale and efficiency in the education sector.
Seniority, as in length of service, automatically means a higher salary. This arrangement does nothing to encourage motivated, conscientious teachers.
Senior teachers are paid monthly salaries of NT$80,000, while those who have just started teaching get NT$40,000. Many schools ask junior teachers to handle complicated and tedious administrative duties, but the system does not allow them to be remunerated sufficiently because special tasks are only allocated NT$3,000 to NT$5,000 per month.
Over the past few years, teachers have become increasingly reluctant to do administrative work, so government agencies should increase these duty-related allowances. This would encourage senior teachers to do these tasks and encourage younger teachers in a tangible way by boosting their salaries.
Higher academic qualifications do not necessarily make people better teachers, much less indicate a willingness to shoulder responsibility.
The salaries of teachers who have just entered the profession differ by NT$4,000 to NT$6,000 per month depending on whether they hold a bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral degree.
If teachers’ academic qualifications were reflected in their abilities, professionalism and willingness to take on additional responsibilities in their schools, it would be perfectly reasonable to pay them higher salaries.
However, the system of basing salaries on qualifications does not have the desired effect in actual school environments. Higher salaries for higher qualifications encourages teachers to attain additional qualifications instead of improving their classroom skills.
School campuses are dominated by an egalitarianism that discourages motivated, enthusiastic teachers from devoting themselves to educational reform and innovation.
Unlike civil servants, teachers are not subject to a system of performance evaluations under which only a certain proportion of employees attain the top grades. Most teachers receive a Grade A evaluation.
This arrangement was meant to encourage teachers, but it has been a shield for the minority who prefer to cruise through their duties or are even lazy.
The evaluation system should be improved so that teachers can know if their performance truly meets the legally stipulated requirements for a Grade A review.
However, evaluating performance by committee, where teachers do not give colleagues the grade that they deserve for fear of offending them, culminates in all teachers receiving Grade A evaluations.
From the standpoint of organizational morale and teaching professionalism and performance, even if there is no way to concretely evaluate poorly performing teachers, complementary measures should exist to encourage those who are motivated and conscientious.
Government agencies should reward dedicated teachers devoted to their schools’ needs with performance-related bonuses.
These teachers are what drive Taiwanese schools — only if they receive the support and confirmation they deserve will the nation’s schools advance in a positive direction.
Chen Chi-nung is the principal of Shuili Junior High School in Nantou County.
Translated by Julian Clegg
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