After the Ministry of Education amended the Regulations on the Dismissal, Non-renewal, Suspension or Layoff of Teachers at the Senior High School Level and Below (高級中等以下學校教師解聘不續聘停聘或資遣辦法), many conflicts that were originally minor incidents that could have been resolved within the school are being escalated to the level of official investigation, wasting limited educational resources.
In many cases, the issues are simple, such as a parent posting a critique on social media questioning a teacher’s disciplinary methods and filing a complaint to the school. Even if the school has gained an understanding of the incident and is satisfied that it does not involve major misconduct, as long as it is deemed “suspected of involving disciplinary actions under the teacher performance evaluation criteria,” the school is legally obligated to file a case for investigation.
To comply with legal procedures and avoid disputes, the school often needs to hire external experts and pay for investigation reports — each case costing over NT$50,000 covered through already tight educational budgets. Limited resources that could have been allocated to teaching, counseling or student support are instead redirected to administrative procedures for minor disputes.
From filing a case, gathering evidence, conducting interviews, supplementing documents to closing the case, it is common for an investigation to drag out for more than six months. The teachers involved might also be placed under unnecessary psychological stress. One school even held eight “school incident meetings” in just two months.
The new system is also changing teachers’ behavioral patterns. When every counseling session or student disciplinary action could be transformed into a high-cost, time-consuming investigation, teachers are forced to adopt less risky strategies, such as reducing the level of intervention, withdrawing teaching creativity and narrowing disciplinary standards. It is a case of “the more you do, the more mistakes you could make.”
This directly contradicts the educational objectives outlined in the Points to Note for Teachers about Student Counseling and Discipline (教師輔導與管教學生注意事項). The regulations expect teachers to guide students in developing good behavior, fostering self-discipline and maintaining classroom order. Yet, the new system forces teachers to take significant risks when trying to realize these goals. How many teachers can adhere to their educational ideals given the potential pitfalls? While young teachers are reluctant to devote themselves completely, senior teachers favor early retirement. The teaching force, as the most critical educational resource, is rapidly collapsing.
When a little friction can cost tens of thousands of New Taiwan dollars and six months of administrative drain, what is lost in today’s educational settings is not only efficiency but also the quality of education. The system should not deviate from the educational goals, and it should reserve room for schools’ professional judgment and flexiblity in handling minor incidents. Ultimately, the biggest danger is not to school budgets but to education itself.
Chen Pei-ying is secretary-general of the Chiayi County Teachers’ Union.
Translated by Eddy Chang
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