Local proposals to relax contract teacher re-hiring rules; Ministry of Education to study legal amendments for local flexibility

Taiwan's local education authorities are advocating for relaxed regulations on contract teachers, proposing amendments to allow for more flexible and extended hiring. The Ministry of Education is reviewing these proposals, aiming to grant local governments greater autonomy in managing teacher recruitment.

The current system requires contract teachers to undergo re-selection annually. This process creates instability, particularly in remote and special needs schools where attracting and retaining qualified staff is challenging. Even well-performing contract teachers struggle to secure stable employment, increasing administrative burdens for schools and disrupting student learning.

"If contract teachers are well-performing after selection, and are affirmed by parents and schools, they should have relaxed re-selection restrictions," suggested Liu Chung-cheng, Director of the Taoyuan City Department of Education. He argued that allowing local governments to retain excellent teachers based on actual needs would ensure teaching quality and protect students' right to education.

The Ministry of Education acknowledged these concerns, noting that the existing rules balance formal teacher selection with principles of fairness and transparency. They plan to gather more practical feedback from various counties and cities to assess the nature and scale of long-term contract teaching. The goal is to explore potential legal amendments that could grant local governments more flexibility in teacher deployment, especially in schools facing difficulties in recruiting permanent staff.

Separately, Tainan City's Director of Education, Cheng Hsin-hui, proposed re-evaluating the long-term retention bonus system for teachers in remote areas. He suggested that bonuses should be based on indicators like teacher turnover rates and hiring difficulties, rather than solely on a school's remote classification. This would ensure resources are more precisely targeted to schools genuinely needing to retain staff.

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If contract teachers are well-performing after selection, and are affirmed by parents and schools, they should have relaxed re-selection restrictions.