Hsinchu County still short of substitute teachers as schools reopen

Schools in Hsinchu County reopened amid a dispute over how many substitute teachers remain unappointed. Shao Chi-yueh, a DPP representative in Zhubei and a candidate for the county council, said 55 positions were still vacant as of the previous week.

Shao accused the county government of taking little action during the two-month summer break and trying to fill the gap in the final week before classes began. She criticized a plan to have current teachers take additional teaching hours, saying it would shift the effects of administrative delays onto frontline staff and increase their workload.

The county education department gave a different figure. Deputy Director Shen Ching-tao said the number of vacancies had fallen to 16 and that all were being advertised, with examinations scheduled for Sept. 2. The department also cited several alternatives, including adjusting current teachers' schedules, assigning extra hours, hiring more substitute teachers, asking retired teachers to teach part time and continuing recruitment.

Shao said extra teaching hours should be voluntary. She also called for an early-warning system for schools that repeatedly fail to recruit teachers, a mechanism to match staff across schools and the use of unspent staffing funds to hire administrative support. The education department said broader problems involving teacher training and staffing structures require comprehensive planning by Taiwan's Ministry of Education.