Dense fog and rainy days in mountainous areas make commuting dangerous. Zhanghu Elementary and Secondary School retains teachers in dormitories worth 30 million yuan.

The country is facing a teacher shortage. In order to retain teachers in rural areas, the Yunlin County Government has taken stock of the needs of rural schools, sought central subsidies and self-raised funds from the county government, and built teacher dormitories for Zhanghu Elementary and Middle School and Caoling Elementary School in Gukeng Mountain District to increase teachers' willingness to stay. Among them, the teachers' dormitory of Zhanghu Elementary and Middle School was unveiled today (11th). The school said that 12 single teachers can be accommodated in the first phase.

Zhanghu Elementary and Secondary School is located in the Gukeng Mountain District. Qiu Xiaowen, director of the County Education Department, said that the school is located in a remote mountainous area, and its transformation into an ecological experimental school has not only attracted students from schools in the county, but also students from other counties and cities.

Chen Qingzhen, the principal of Zhanghu Junior High School, pointed out that the school currently has 60 teachers, and more than half of them are from other counties and cities. Teachers who live in Yunlin and Chiayi ride motorcycles and drive cars to commute every day. There are also many teachers who rent houses in Gukeng and Douliu. The school is located in a mountainous area and is affected by rain and thick fog for about half of the year. The commuting risks of teachers are high, and there have been bicycle skidding and traffic accidents in the past.

Chen Qingzhen said that the absence of dormitories and the risk of commuting would affect teachers' willingness to stay. Only by building dormitories with a stable living environment can they stay at ease, devote themselves to education for a long time, and reduce the turnover rate of teachers in rural areas. He hopes that after the teachers' dormitories are opened, they will attract more teachers to teach in the mountains, accompany students to learn and grow, and promote community development.

The unveiling and blessing of the teachers’ dormitory of Zhanghu Junior High School was hosted by Deputy County Magistrate Xie Shuya, and witnessed by Gukeng Township Mayor Lin Huiru, Councilors Lai Mingyuan, Zhang Tingqi, villagers in the Zhanghu area, and all teachers and students of the school.

Xie Shuya said that there should be no gap in education due to distance. The teacher dormitory project of Zhanghu Elementary and Secondary Schools cost about more than 30 million yuan, which was subsidized by the Ministry of Education and raised by the county government. It is hoped that it can provide teachers with a safe living environment, reduce commuting, and allow teachers to devote more time and energy to teaching, and lead children to grow up with love and companionship.