Taiwan Teachers' Union Calls for Higher Pay for Retired Public Servants Teaching Part-Time

As schools across Taiwan prepare to reopen next week, a significant challenge looms: a shortage of teachers in some institutions. The National Senior High School Teachers' Union (All-Taiwan Teachers' Union, or ATU) has stepped forward, urging the Ministry of Education to address the issue by increasing the monthly salary limit for retired public servants who take on part-time teaching roles.

The ATU points out that some schools have repeatedly failed to fill vacant positions despite multiple recruitment drives. To alleviate immediate staffing needs, the union proposes a short-term solution: loosening restrictions on how much retired civil servants can earn from part-time work. Currently, this cap is set at NT$29,500, equivalent to the minimum wage. The ATU suggests aligning this with standards for retired military personnel, raising it to NT$38,130. This adjustment, they argue, would offer greater flexibility, particularly in covering classes when current teachers are on maternity or extended leave, ensuring more consistent instruction for students.

Several factors contribute to the difficulty in recruiting teachers in recent years. These include competition from other industries with more attractive salaries, changes in retirement benefits, and an increasing administrative workload for educators. These issues can deter young people from entering the teaching profession and place a dual burden of teaching and administrative tasks on current teachers. The ATU emphasizes that addressing the urgent need for teachers at the start of the school year must be complemented by efforts to improve the overall work environment.

Beyond the immediate need, the ATU also recommends offering reasonable stipends to teachers who commit to covering full-term courses. These part-time educators often undertake responsibilities beyond direct instruction, such as lesson preparation, grading, and assessment. The union believes that additional compensation would better reflect this workload and encourage more teachers to take on these roles. For long-term reform, the ATU advocates for a review of salary structures, increased allowances for homeroom teachers and other special duties, and a streamlining of administrative tasks. They also call for a review of the school affairs meeting system to establish fair complaint and investigation mechanisms that balance student rights with teacher professionalism, while reducing unnecessary evaluations and project indicators to allow teachers to focus more on teaching.

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We suggest loosening the monthly salary cap for retired public servants who teach and work part-time. Currently, the cap is NT$29,500, but we propose raising it to NT$38,130, similar to the standards for retired military personnel.