A quasi-public preschool in New Taipei City’s Banciao District (板橋) has been ordered to suspend enrollment of new students after three of its teachers were found to have physically abused eight children earlier this year, the New Taipei City Department of Education said on Monday.
A committee was appointed to investigate the accusations against three female teachers, identified by their surnames, Kao (高), Chiang (江) and Chang (張), the department said.
Parents told the committee that their children had been subjected to physical abuse, including being slapped in the face and dragged by their feet with significant force, it said.
Photo courtesy of the New Taipei City Department of Education
During its investigation, the committee interviewed the parents, examined evidence and concluded that the accusations made against the three teachers were true, it said.
Kao, Chiang and Chang were fined NT$600,000, NT$300,000 and NT$30,000 respectively, while the preschool owner was fined NT$60,000 for negligence, the department said.
The three teachers were also handed lifetime bans from teaching, meaning that they will never work as educators in Taiwan again, it added.
The department’s administrative investigation and penalties are separate from a criminal investigation of the case, which is to be conducted by the New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office for alleged offenses of causing injury, it said.
Although it is allowed to continue operating, the Banciao institution has been banned from enrolling new students and ordered to make improvements while its status as a “quasi- public” preschool that receives government subsidies would be removed with effect from Aug. 1, the department said.
The head of the school, who asked to remain anonymous, said recently that although the three teachers had acted “somewhat inappropriately” toward the students, they had done so to manage their classrooms and had apologized to the parents for their actions.
The government failed to take into consideration the teachers’ workloads and the amount of pay they were receiving, the school head said, adding that the penalties were “in fact a bit too harsh.”
Democratic Progressive Party New Taipei City Councilor Huang Shu-chun (黃淑君) said that the department had been slow to handle the case, with the accusations being made in March.
The fines were issued on June 13 and the preschool on June 21 held a parents’ meeting to explain what had happened, Huang said, adding that other parents were likely unaware of the situation before then.
The department must be more prudent in its evaluations of institutions that are granted quasi-public preschool status, she said.
Department Commissioner Chang Ming-wen (張明文) said that certain procedures are necessary when looking into a matter related to the Protection of Children and Youths Welfare and Rights Act (兒童及少年福利與權益保障法), adding that the investigation was launched in April as soon as it became aware of the issue.
The preschool previously had more than 30 students and after consulting with parents, many pulled their children out, Chang said, adding that it has fewer than 10 students enrolled.
The department would “ensure the rights and interests of every student who remains at the school,” he added.
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