Longer teaching contracts for remote schools sought

BETTER FOR STUDENTS:Reducing teacher turnover at schools on outlying islands and in mountain villages could improve the quality of teaching at those schools

By Sean Lin  /  Staff reporter

A draft bill that would require new teachers at public elementary and secondary schools in remote areas to work at the schools for six years before they can request a transfer was announced by the Ministry of Education yesterday.

Deputy Minister of Education Lin Teng-chiao (林騰蛟) said the bill covers schools on outlying islands, in Aboriginal villages in mountainous areas and in areas at altitudes of 1,000m or above.

The ministry attaches a high level of importance to education in these areas, so the aim of the new rule is to reduce teacher turnover, which has hurt students’ learning, Lin said.

The draft bill also suggested that in schools with fewer than 50 students, the student-to-teacher ratio must not be lower than five-to-one, and that the school must have a minimum of three teachers.

If the bill is passed in this legislative session, it will take effect in September next year, Lin said.

National Federation of Teachers’ Unions president Chang Hsu-cheng (張旭政) said that six years is “quite a long time.”

However, given that the number of teachers far outweighs demand, if a school in a remote area is hiring a full-time teacher, many young and inexperienced teachers would likely apply, Chang said.

He said he does not think the proposal would discourage young teachers from teaching at remote schools.

In related news, the federation called on the ministry to abolish the Evaluation of Teachers’ Professional Development.

Although the evaluations are not mandatory, some schools arbitrarily evaluate their teachers, which seriously undermines the teachers’ self-determination and interferes with their teaching styles, Chang said.

The evaluation should be replaced by lessons that allow teachers to learn new techniques, he said, adding that such lessons have become increasingly popular in recent years and have produced promising results.

Ministry official Chang Ming-wen (張明文) said the evaluation system, introduced in 2006, would be overhauled and it would be transformed in August next year into a system that supports the development of teachers’ professional skills.

However, the valuable qualities of the former evaluation system would be retained, Chang Ming-wen said.