The National Teachers' Association (NTA, ?thorn>國?ETH>師會) yesterday demanded the government grant equal retirement benefits to all teachers, arguing that private schools have had a serious problem retaining staff because of their comparative disadvantage when it comes to offering pensions.
Public school teachers, as civil servants, can choose to receive their retirement payment either in a lump sum or as monthly stipends. Money is deducted from their salaries every month, constituting 35 percent of the total contribution to their pension fund. The government makes up the remaining 65 percent.
Private school teachers are not required to make any such contributions. Each registered private school pays two percent of its income from tuition fees into a fund to finance the teachers' retirement package.
PHOTO: CHIANG YING-YING, TAIPEI TIMES
The eventual payout is given to the teacher in a lump sum only, with the amount being inevitably less than that received by a public school teacher.
The Ministry of Education has drafted a bill seeking to expand its pension scheme to cover private school teachers.
It stipulates that the teachers pay the normal 35 percent, but the schools would have to pitch in the equivalent of the government's 65 percent contribution.
This would, quite obviously, place a heavy financial burden on the school administrations.
"This wouldn't be a problem for schools that are able to recruit a sufficient number of students. But it would be like rubbing salt in the wounds of those who are having recruitment difficulties," said NTA chairman Chang Hui-shan (張輝?s).
Chang proposed that the current practice be maintained in which private schools pay two percent of their incomes from tuition fees to the pension fund, with the government making up the shortfall.
Chang said teachers should be treated equally since they all play a vital role in educating the nation's citizens.
"Under the present system, no qualified teachers want to join private schools. Substitute and unlicensed teachers, too, will jump to public schools as soon as they obtain formal qualifications," Chang said.
Lai Yih-shyong (賴義雄), a teacher at the private China Medical College who also leads the NTA's private school committee, said the standard of teaching at private schools will not be maintained unless the system is changed.
Officials, however, warned that the NTA's request may further worsen the government's already strained finances in the aftermath of the 921 earthquake.
"Any new scheme must be underpinned by careful and thorough financial planning for it to endure," said Yeh Charng-ming (
Yeh pointed out that while the contributions of the private school teachers would be defined, their eventual payouts would be difficult to assess if they, too, opt for monthly stipends. This could create a financial headache further down the road, he said.
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