Dozens of teachers yesterday urged the Ministry of Education to stop requiring schools to hold campus disciplinary meetings to curb malicious and frivolous complaints filed against them.
The National Education Rights Protection Association, which represents educators who have allegedly been unfairly treated in campus disciplinary meetings, protested in front of the ministry’s building in Taipei on Teachers’ Day, calling for national attention to what they said was an educational crisis.
The more diligent a teacher is, the more likely they are to targeted, National Federation of Education Unions deputy chairman Wu Ming-yu (吳明玉) said.
Photo: CNA
“Campus disciplinary meetings function like a supreme organization, rendering the Teachers’ Evaluation Committee and Faculty Review Committee powerless. No one is allowed to overturn or question an investigation report published by the campus disciplinary meetings,” she said.
“We are not asking people to support unqualified teachers, but instead to support those who are serious about teaching and have experienced injustice. We hope that this stigmatization of teachers would stop by abolishing campus disciplinary meetings,” she added.
A teacher who was allegedly targeted by the campus disciplinary meeting spoke on condition of anonymity, saying that while he agrees that schools should follow the law, he did not agree that frivolous complaints filed by anonymous sources should be allowed.
“If a student or parent does not feel comfortable with your teaching style, they can file complaints anonymously. Schools are required to address them. Members of the Campus Disciplinary Committees only undergo a few days of training. They determine if someone is guilty as charged simply by noting changes in speech patterns. Their professionalism is not convincing,” he said.
Protesters put forward four major demands: respecting teachers’ professionalism, and preventing anonymous complaints or vague accusations from damaging their reputation; ending opaque campus disciplinary committees, and establishing a transparent and open process; abolishing campus disciplinary meetings to rebuild a friendly school environment; and re-examining wrongful cases against teachers.
In response to a surge of complaints stemming from campus disciplinary meetings, the ministry said it convened legal experts, local governments and other organizations to discuss reforms.
The ministry aims to optimize the effectiveness of the meetings by the end of the year, ensuring teachers can teach with peace of mind and students can focus on learning, it said.
To ensure order and professionalism, the ministry has issued the Guidelines for Teacher Counseling and Student Discipline (教師輔導與管教學生辦法注意事項), which clarify the purposes, principles and legally permissible measures for teacher discipline, it said.
The guidelines also introduce a “justifiable conduct” clause, protecting teachers from punishment when acting appropriately to discipline students or maintain classroom order, it said.
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