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As teacher shortages in Taiwan continue to worry parents and the wider community, the National Teachers’ Association (NTA) is calling for real change. The NTA emphasizes that teachers’ hard work and the many responsibilities they assume must be fairly recognized through better pay and improved working conditions. Only then can Taiwan ensure a high-quality education for every student.

This explains why teaching is one of the least attractive professions for many young people, even those who completed teacher education and passed the teaching certificate exam, the union said at a press conference. Education International Asia-Pacific (EIAP) Regional Director Anand Singh and Education International's Go Public! Fund Education Campaign Manager Angelo Gavrielatos delivered strong solidarity messages during this event.

Mr. Singh highlighted EIAP’s full support and urged the Taiwanese government to act for teachers’ fair pay, professional allowance, as well as the union’s right to represent teachers in the governmental Wage Review Committee. “Together we fight for the improvement of teachers’ working conditions to attract talents to the teaching profession, and to ensure quality education for all,” he said.

To tackle teacher shortage and ensure quality education, it is essential to respect teachers’ right to collective bargaining, aligning with the United Nations (UN) Recommendations on the teaching profession.

Mr. Gavrielatos presented the UN Recommendations on the teaching profession, describing them as being “the global teacher policy blueprint to all governments, including Taiwan, to make the changes teachers need to attract and retain the teachers we need.” He also pointed out that, in East Asia, an additional 3.3 million teachers are needed by the end of this decade. He further noted that the Recommendations offer concrete and straightforward solutions, i.e. to provide teachers with comparable salaries to other professionals with the same level of education, and respect their working conditions, safeguarding their mental health and wellbeing. Finally, Mr. Gavrielatos urged the Taiwanese government to guarantee the representation of NTA in institutionalized social dialogue and negotiations regarding teachers’ policies.

TALIS 2024 findings back up union demands

Also during the event Martin Henry from Education International, introduced the findings of the Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) 2024 released by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. He also stressed that the status of teachers is under threat and wage demands should be dealt with through a legislative forum allowing NTA to negotiate in good faith with the government. He also urged the Taiwanese government to give teachers the respect they deserve and to include NTA in the Wage Review Committee, ensuring teachers are well-paid with good working conditions. This will make a difference to students and education system, he acknowledged.

NTA President Hou Chung-Liang expressed his satisfaction at the timely solidarity messages from EI and EIAP. He concluded by reaffirming the union demands for representation in the governmental Wage Review Committee to ensure teaching is an attractive profession with competitive salaries and sufficient professional allowances that recognize daily contributions made by both public and private school teachers, including their administrative, mentoring, special education, academic enhancement, and additional counseling duties.

A bill on teachers debated

Legislators from different parties joined the press conference to stand with teachers and their union calling the Taiwanese government to take immediate measures to end teacher shortages by providing decent salaries and related allowances, as well as respecting teacher union voices in wage negotiations.

A proposal for law amendments regarding the improvement of teachers’ salaries and working conditions has now been put on the legislative agenda. This press conference represents a step further in putting pressure on open cross-partisan negotiations before the general discussion on the bill and its adoption.

KTU is very much involved in EI’s Go public! Fund Education campaign in the region. The Taiwanese education union leadership recently met with other leaders of EI member organizations across North Asia – from Japan, Mongolia and South Korea – for a Go Public! event. Describing their own major challenges, the education leaders were left with no doubt that the shrinking of education budgets, and consequently the underinvestment in teachers and public education, was the root cause of teacher shortages and burnout.