Taipei Department of Education Commissioner Tang Chih-min (湯志民) has tendered his resignation to Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲).
In an open letter to department staff yesterday, Tang said he had “completed the mission assigned for this phase,” and that he expects to resume teaching at National Chengchi University on Saturday.
Sources said Tang tendered his resignation on Tuesday.
Photo: CNA
Tang’s resignation coincided with Taipei Department of Legal Affairs Commissioner Yang Fang-ling’s (楊芳玲) resignation on Tuesday.
It is believed that Ko’s decision to reinstate former Taipei Municipal Zhongshan Junior High School music teacher Hsiao Hsiao-ling (蕭曉玲) — which was made public the same day — led to Yang’s and Tang’s resignations, as both were involved in the decision to fire Hsiao.
Hsiao in 2008 took the city government to court, saying she was wrongfully fired after a performance evaluation as an act of political retaliation by then-Taipei mayor Hau Lung-bin’s (郝龍斌) administration, which she said was motivated by her opposition to the Hau administration’s “one guideline, single textbook” education policy.
Although the Supreme Administrative Court ruled in favor of the city government in 2011, the Control Yuan issued a corrective measure against the city in 2013, citing irregularities and procedural improprieties in the conduct of the review board.
On Wednesday, Ko rescinded Hsiao’s contract and re-employed her at another city school, with compensation for nine years’ worth of salary owed to the teacher.
In response to reporters’ questions yesterday, Ko said he received Tang’s resignation, but had not accepted it yet, adding that he would decide whether to accept the resignation when the city government returns to work today.
When asked whether Yang and Tang’s resignations were linked, Ko said: “Everything has two sides, and there comes a time when a choice must be made.”
Regarding Hsiao’s case, it is the responsibility of a mayor to take action when an innocent person has been wronged by the legal system, Ko said, adding that certain issues cannot be redressed by legal procedures alone.
Ko said that the goal of transitional justice is to prevent repeating mistakes, adding that while he has been criticized of “leaving a good deed incomplete,” he continues to favor the redressing of mistreated people in a way that does not contribute to a “cycle of retribution.”
“If a perpetrator must be found in this case, let me take the blame,” he said.
The replacement of political appointees are “like divorces” in that they are routine occurrences that happen due to questions of “compatibility and not of mistakes,” Ko said, adding that 24 commissioners had quit in the first four years of Hau’s administration.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft