The Control Yuan yesterday censured the Taipei City Education Department for poor supervision of Taipei Wego Private Senior High School, which allegedly used corporal punishment to enforce an overly restrictive dress code.
The school implemented collective punishment and corporal punishment for dress code contraventions, but the department did not require the school to investigate or address complaints when they were received, Control Yuan members Yeh Ta-hua (葉大華) and Lai Ting-ming (賴鼎銘) said in a statement based on their investigation.
The department received 11 petitions regarding improper enforcement of the school’s dress code from August 2020, when the Ministry of Education introduced new dress code policies, until March this year, the investigation showed.
Photo: Hsieh Chun-lin, Taipei Times
The petitions regarded the school imposing restrictions on students’ hairstyles, its punishment of students for wearing extra layers of clothes on cold days and for not having a committee that could arbitrate dress code disputes, it showed.
After review of the school’s documentation, the department determined that the dress codes contravened ministry regulations, it said.
However, the department only sent a letter to the school asking it to review and revise its dress codes, and to announce the new policies on its Web site within one month, none of which the school did, it said.
Upon receiving reports of alleged corporal punishment at the school, the department should have required the school to investigate the allegations within five days, which did not happen, Yeh and Lai said.
Teachers also reportedly punished students for dress code contraventions by forcing them to perform campus services, also not within ministry regulation, they said.
Complaints continued to be filed with the department, with responses to the petitioners only relaying the school’s position and the department’s actions, without an investigation taking place, they said.
The department neglected its duty to supervise the school, and failed to protect students’ rights to education and expression, they said.
The Taipei Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Wanda-Zhonghe Line is 81.7 percent complete, with public opening targeted for the end of 2027, New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) said today. Surrounding roads are to be open to the public by the end of next year, Hou said during an inspection of construction progress. The 9.5km line, featuring nine underground stations and one depot, is expected to connect Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall Station to Chukuang Station in New Taipei City’s Jhonghe District (中和). All 18 tunnels for the line are complete, while the main structures of the stations and depot are mostly finished, he
The first global hotel Keys Selection by the Michelin Guide includes four hotels in Taiwan, Michelin announced yesterday. All four received the “Michelin One Key,” indicating guests are to experience a “very special stay” at any of the locations as the establishments are “a true gem with personality. Service always goes the extra mile, and the hotel provides much more than others in its price range.” Of the four hotels, three are located in Taipei and one in Taichung. In Taipei, the One Key accolades were awarded to the Capella Taipei, Kimpton Da An Taipei and Mandarin Oriental Taipei. Capella Taipei was described by
Taipei is to implement widespread road closures around Taipei 101 on Friday to make way for large crowds during the Double Ten National Day celebration, the Taipei Department of Transportation said. A four-minute fireworks display is to be launched from the skyscraper, along with a performance by 500 drones flying in formation above the nearby Nanshan A21 site, starting at 10pm. Vehicle restrictions would occur in phases, they said. From 5pm to 9pm, inner lanes of Songshou Road between Taipei City Hall and Taipei 101 are to be closed, with only the outer lanes remaining open. Between 9pm and 9:40pm, the section is
The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Vancouver, Canada, on Saturday hosted a reception to celebrate Double Ten National Day. Conservative Canadian lawmaker Marc Dalton called Taiwan a “beacon of courage and resilience in the face of rising authoritarianism,” according to a post on the Taiwan in Vancouver Facebook page. Also in attendance were fellow conservative caucus members Tako Van Popta and Chak Au, who said that Taiwan plays an “indispensable role” in ensuring global peace, prosperity and stability due to its strategic position in the Indo-Pacific region, it said. Canadian lawmaker Michael Cooper also recorded a message wishing Taiwan a
RSS