Education

Taoyuan Moves To Ease Burden on Teachers Amid Staffing Crunch

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By Klein Wang/Ted Chen/Yvonne Yan

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A shortage of teachers in Taiwan is forcing many educators to take on duties outside their areas of expertise, adding to concerns about workload and retention. Math teacher Pan Po-han says he has been assigned scouting responsibilities despite having no training in the subject, while former elementary school teacher Wang You-ying left the profession for a higher-paying job in the telecom sector. In response, the municipality of Taoyuan in northern Taiwan plans to reduce teaching loads for some homeroom teachers and add 307 teaching positions starting in the 2027 school year. Educators and advocates say the policy is promising but how effective it will be remains uncertain.

Amid an ongoing teacher shortage, many educators in Taiwan are being asked to take on extra duties. And that’s fueling frustrations across their ranks.

Pan Po-han, just landed a full-time position after spending a decade as a substitute teacher at junior high schools in the Greater Taipei area.

But the math teacher says he now faces a different challenge.

PAN PO-HAN, MATH TEACHER:

"The school simply cannot find enough staff to teach scouting and home economics. So this semester, I've been assigned to help with scouting. But my area of expertise is mathematics. I've never learned how to tie a knot in my life or how to pitch a tent either."

The pressure has also driven some teachers out of the profession. One of them is Wang You-ying.

WANG YOU-YING, FORMER TEACHER:

"Because I have a family of my own and I thought about my future pay and retirement in 2025 I decided to make a switch to the telecom industry."

A former elementary teacher, Wang says she now earns about 50 percent more working as an engineer. Parent complaints and threats of lawsuits also played a role in her decision to leave teaching.

A recent survey found widespread concern over teacher turnover, with most respondents saying it disrupts students' learning.

Taoyuan is among the first local governments to take action. Starting from the 2027 school year, some homeroom teachers will teach one fewer class per week.
The municipality is also adding 307 new teaching posts. That will offer some relief to the city’s nearly 8,000 teachers.

At Pingzhen Junior High, that means two new teachers. The school’s principal says the extra staff should ease both classroom and administrative workloads.

SU HUI-TSEN, TEACHER:

"This policy is a good thing, of course. But if possible what teachers really want is a genuine cut in the workload not something that will bite us back."

Chang Chiung-fang, policy director at the Taoyuan Teachers' Association, says it’s still too early to judge the policy’s effectiveness.

CHANG CHIUNG-FANG, POLICY DIRECTOR:

"Going forward, what we're watching is whether Taoyuan can actually hire qualified teachers and cut down on red tape for teachers as well as other steps to ease their workload."

The stakes are high. As Taiwan's birthrate falls and student enrollment shrinks, keeping qualified teachers in classrooms is increasingly important for the country's future.

Klein Wang, Ted Chen and Yvonne Yang for TaiwanPlus