Teachers can no longer rifle through students' belongings in search of contraband without just cause, the Ministry of Education announced yesterday, citing a new set of rules that refine a law already on the books banning corporal punishment in schools.
The tongue-twisting "Observations on the Notice Governing Educators' Teaching and Punishing of Students as Defined and Implemented by Schools" (學校訂定與實施教師輔導與管教學生辦法注意事項) was introduced by the ministry last month at the behest of lawmakers in order to refine an amendment to the Education Basic Law (教育基本法) banning physical punishment.
The new rules were finalized after months of discussion and consultation with educational experts, Vice Minister of Education Lu Mu-lin (呂木琳) said at a press conference yesterday.
The version unveiled last month was a rough draft, said National Teachers Association general-secretary Liu Chin-hsiu (劉欽旭), whose association helped formulate the rules.
"This is a set of rules explicitly defining how a teacher can address misbehaving students," Liu said.
The amendment to the Education Basic Law banning "all physical punishment of students" was first introduced by President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) last December and was passed by the legislature that same month, a ministry press release said.
In passing the amendment, however, lawmakers required the ministry to draw up a set of rules to supplement the amendment and clearly define how teachers can and can't discipline students, the press release said.
The draft introduced last month states that the final set of rules not only bans teachers from inflicting all forms of corporal punishment on students, but also prohibits them from searching students' desks and bookbags without just cause.
Only in cases where a teacher has just reason to believe that a student has hidden a stolen item or contraband among his or her belongings can the teacher carry out a search, the finalized rules state.
Teachers are also prohibited from verbally abusing students and must conduct searches on campus and in the presence of a third party, the rules state.
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