School administrators and teachers are required to work full-time during winter recess and summer break, starting from the winter recess of this school year, the Ministry of Education announced yesterday.
According to long-standing regulations, school administrative staff and teachers at all schools, from elementary level to college, are required to work only four hours a day during the winter and summer breaks.
The new mandate, however, indicates that all teachers and administrators have to work "eight hours a day, five days a week and cannot delay arrival or leave earlier." This measure was established in the Regulation about Holidays for Public Officials, enacted in 2001.
Vice Education Minister Wu Ming-ching (
"The ministry received many complaints about teachers having the privilege to work less than other public officials during the long vacations," Wu said.
"The public also indicated that this has caused inconvenience to students and others that go to campus for other matters. But there should be almost no one at school then," he said.
Nevertheless, the announcement has agitated many teachers and strong objections have been voiced.
The head of personnel at a college, who insisted on remaining anonymous, said the ministry announced the new rule very abruptly. It did not take teachers' feelings into consideration and will simply be a waste of resources and teachers' time, as nothing will be going on at school at that time, he said.
"Professors at college might do their research during recesses, yet teachers and administrators at elementary and high schools have nothing to do in that time but are forced to show up on campus, which does not make sense," the chief said.
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