On the eve of Teachers' Day: the National Education Union calls for administrative reductions and additional tutoring positions

Teachers' Day is approaching. In addition to commending outstanding teachers, teachers also need substantial institutional support. The National Education Action Alliance stated today (23rd) that it has been tracking school administrative reductions for the third consecutive year. Although the Ministry of Education continues to propose measures such as simplifying school evaluation and consolidating the reporting system, the next step should be to publish a list and schedule of "acceptable" reductions. In addition, with the increase in students' mental health and counseling needs, full-time guidance teachers bear statutory professional responsibilities, but are not explicitly listed as targets for job additions under the "Teachers' Salary Ordinance". It calls on the Ministry of Education to consider adding a "counseling position increase."

Wang Hanyang, chairman of the National Education Alliance, said that the Teacher Award is an affirmation of outstanding teachers, but for more teachers who are responsible for teaching, administration and tutoring every day, the gift they need most on Teachers' Day is "less duplication of administration and more time to accompany students", and to allow those who bear professional responsibilities to receive corresponding institutional support.

Wang Hanyang pointed out that the National Education Union has continued to track administrative reductions since 2024, from simplifying forms and avoiding repeated requests for funds to requiring data to be collected once and shared across units. This year, the focus should be on "whether reductions have been announced" and to further examine which schools have eliminated repeated filings and which evaluations and visits have been integrated. Although the front line reflects that some forms and outcome data have been simplified, and some physical visits have been replaced by written reviews, there are still repeated requests for information on family education and counseling statistics.

Wang Hanyang said that in accordance with the "Student Counseling Law", counselors must plan developmental counseling, connect internal and external resources on campus, implement interventional counseling, and evaluate and refer to treatment counseling; however, the current job targets in Article 13 of the "Teachers' Benefits Ordinance" include those who serve as part-time supervisors, tutors, or special education, and full-time counselors are not specified.

At present, the proposal to add full-time tutors and "additional tutoring duties" on the Public Policy Online Participation Platform has exceeded 5,000 people in support, and the competent authorities must respond before November 4. The National Education Union advocates that the Ministry of Education should specify the applicable targets, payment standards, funding sources and implementation schedule, and discuss amending the "Teacher Treatment Regulations"; however, the payment should not be linked to the number of cases received or the speed of case closure, and supervision, crisis support and cross-system referral mechanisms should be established.