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Teachers march on Taipei city center

Teachers from around the country stage a protest on Taipei's Ketagalan Boulevard yesterday. The protest was organized by the National Teachers' Association. PHOTO: GEORGE TSORNG, TAIPEI TIMES

An estimated 8,000 teachers from 25 cities and counties took to Taipei's streets yesterday in the National Teachers' Association's (NTA) "Action 928: Marching for Children" protest.

The demonstrators issued five requests linked to educational reform, and demanded President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) carry out his 2000 campaign promises on education.

Marchers gathered early at the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall (中正紀念堂) before walking down Ketagalan Boulevard (凱達格蘭大道) at 11:30am behind NTA secretary-general Liu Hsu-chin (劉旭欽).

The protesters tied yellow ribbons printed with the characters "Action 928 -- [I want the] president to carry out his education promises," while teachers, some of whom had brought their children to walk alongside them or be pushed in baby carriages, shouted slogans and sang songs. The parade stopped in front of the Presidential Office, were the demonstrators sat on the ground to watch skits and listen to speeches.

NTA speakers delivered the association's five education requests: to give hope and happiness back to children; listen to grassroots teachers' concerns; mend the problems caused by the 10-year educational reform; lighten the tuition fee burden on parents; and carry out the educational policies promised by President Chen.

Placards waved by the marchers showed two major demands selected from Chen's promises made in 2000. The NTA said that the promises to lower class sizes to 30 and to increase the number of teachers to two per class all came to nothing.

"We think it is important to lessen teachers' work loads so that they can focus on teaching and thus teaching quality can be improved and children can learn in a better environment," NTA president Lu Hsiu-chu (呂秀菊) said. "We are fighting for our children, not for our own interests."

An elementary school teacher who came from Taichung said that new educational policies have created problems.

"All the policy U-turns have confused the teachers, parents and children," said the teacher surnamed Cheng. "We want education to return to its healthy state."

Minister of Education Huang Jong-tsun (黃榮村) held a press conference after the march to respond teachers requests. Huang said that the ministry has been trying to implement Chen's educational polices over the past three years and denied that the government had lost its resolve.

Huang said that increasing the number of teachers assigned to every class to two would cost NT$20.4 billion. Any planned move would have to be discussed carefully with the Cabinet, Huang said, adding that the ministry would not give up on its promises.
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