Nearly 60 percent of elementary and middle-school teachers intend to leave their positions within the next five years amid high job dissatisfaction, a survey released yesterday by CommonWealth Education Media and Publishing showed.
Many teachers feel overly busy at work, which coupled with low respect for their profession, leads to low job satisfaction, Taipei Municipal Jinhua Junior High School principal Huang Chi-ching (黃啟清) said.
Teachers are reluctant to let the next generation become educators, which shows the profession is collapsing, but is also a key point to solving the issue, Chengzhi Education Foundation chair Lee Chi-jen (李吉仁) said.
Photo courtesy of the Taichung City Government
The survey was conducted from Jan. 5 to 23 and included 5,412 responses from teachers: 3,487 from elementary schools and 1,925 from middle schools, CommonWealth said.
The results showed 59.3 percent of teachers want to quit within five years, and that number remains above 50 percent after accounting for teachers who may retire soon, it said.
In addition, 66.9 percent of teachers do not support the next generation becoming educators, showing a decline in the attractiveness of the profession, it added.
The top three factors affecting teachers’ willingness to stay were low teacher dignity at 51.9 percent, changes in student quality at 40.1 percent and frequent changes in education policies at 34 percent, the survey showed.
A further 95.8 percent of teachers worry that they could be misunderstood or reported even when upholding professional teaching standards, creating a conservative and defensive school environment, CommonWealth said.
Due to this concern, 79 percent of teachers prioritize procedural legality over educational effectiveness when managing the classroom, it said.
Regarding stress, 95.3 percent of teachers reported feeling stressed, with the top contributors being student behavior and mood at 78.1 percent, risk of parental complaints at 55.2 percent and difficulties communicating with families at 53.9 percent, the survey showed.
Teachers also struggle with time pressure, with 64.9 percent lacking enough time to prepare for classes and 70.1 percent lacking enough time for their private lives, it showed.
The teaching workforce is aging, with 30 percent of teachers older than 50, CommonWealth said, adding that this may lead to a wave of retirees in the next five years
In addition, 33 percent of certified teachers are not actively teaching, showing that human resources are not being used effectively, it said.
A three-tier support system should be established for teachers, covering improvement of school administration and staffing; social-emotional learning for parents, teachers and students to enhance communication; and strengthening support and mentoring for new teachers, it said.
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