Seventeen public high school principals were inaugurated yesterday under the supervision of the Ministry of Education (MOE). They are the first public high school leaders to be directly elected by a special committee under a selection regime launched this year.
Under the new scheme, principals are elected for four-year terms and may serve a second term if they pass an evaluation by the committee. After they have served two terms, they can again submit their candidacy for the post of principal, but must serve at a different school.
In the past, principals of public high schools located outside the two special municipalities of Taipei and Kaohsiung were officially appointed for indefinite periods by the Taiwan Provincial Government, leaving them in place for long periods, if not indefinitely. Supervisory power over these schools was shifted to the MOE after the provincial government was downsized in 1998.
A new measure was adopted in accordance with educational reforms in July 1999, stating that principals of public high schools were no longer to be appointed by the government, but instead elected by a special committee comprised of administrators, scholars and teachers' representatives.
"The new measure is designed to bridge the yawning gap between educators and society. We hope school principals will reach out more and listen to the voices on campus. We hope that better communication between the two sides will make for a more efficient community," said Vice Minister of Education Fan Sun-lu (
"With this new initiative, we aim to end the criticism that public school principals are "principals for life" or "principals appointed by political connections," Fan said.
A meeting is planned in September to iron out any teething problems with the new regime and to ensure that the system ultimately runs as fairly and soundly as possible. All opinions will be carefully considered, she added.
The 17 chosen were picked out of a total of 108 competitors.
Hsiao Hui-lan (
Seventy percent of the chosen principals hold bachelors degrees. None of the six candidates with doctorates were elected.
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