Taichung Teachers Seek Support as Free School Lunch Policy Leaves Them Overlooked

Teachers in Taichung are voicing concerns that the city's upcoming free school lunch program, set to launch next academic year, overlooks their increased workload. While the initiative aims to benefit students in public and private elementary and middle schools, educators feel their role during lunch periods has become more demanding, yet inadequately supported.

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don't just focus on taking care of students.

Lin Shuo-jie, president of the Taichung City Education Industry Union, highlighted that with students now eating lunch at school five days a week, elementary school teachers, particularly in lower grades, face added pressure. Beyond simply supervising meals, teachers often handle unexpected situations and provide guidance on eating habits and etiquette. This expanded role, he argues, compresses time for lesson preparation and communication.

Lin pointed to Taipei and New Taipei cities as examples, where teachers receive lunch guidance fees and have had one teaching hour per week reduced. He urged Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen to implement similar supportive policies for teachers, stating that the current free lunch policy is only a "half-step" if it fails to acknowledge the educators' contributions.

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hope to catch up, don't just follow half-heartedly, only taking care of students and not teachers.

Parents are also expressing reservations, with some concerned about potential declines in lunch quality as costs are managed. Zhang Xiu-fang, president of the Taichung City Deep Cultivation Education Parent Association, questioned whether the quality of free lunches would be maintained, especially if cost-saving measures impact the food itself. She hopes the schools will prioritize maintaining high lunch standards to ensure students enjoy the meals and minimize food waste.

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lunch guidance is not just accompanying meals, it should reasonably reflect the professional contribution of teachers.