Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Chao Li-yun (趙麗雲) yesterday proposed the creation of a certification system for cram school teachers, following a recent series of scandals surrounding a number of teachers in those educational establishments.
Chao told reporters at the legislature it was necessary for the government to amend the Supplementary and Continuing Education Act (補習及進修教育法) to introduce a system to certify and evaluate cram school teachers.
Chao said the act does not stipulate any requirements for the qualification of cram school teachers, though it empowers local governments to write their own regulations.
However, local governments only require that cram schools hire “teachers with enough expertise to teach the classes they are offering” rather than introducing specific and thorough regulations on qualification, she said.
Chao, head of the legislature’s Education and Culture Committee, said the government should amend the act to screen cram school teachers’ qualifications in advance and revoke the certificates of those who violate ethics.
Chao was responding to the recent media frenzy of an extramarital affair between two English cram school teachers, Kao Kuo-hua (高國華) and Chen Tzu-hsuan (陳子璇).
The hullaballoo started a month ago when Kao was caught kissing Chen in his Mercedes-Benz.
The pair and Kao’s estranged wife, Tsai Yu-hsuan (蔡郁璇), have been feeding local media with new developments every day since the affair made the headlines.
Minister of Education Wu Ching-chi (吳清基) on Sunday expressed frustration with the drama.
“The cram school drama has had a negative impact on society. I feel very sad,” Wu said.
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