TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwan's low birth rate has already caused a significant decrease in demand for educators, making it difficult for substitute teachers to secure full-time faculty positions.
Chen Li-ying, a substitute teacher at a local school in Taipei City, shared the trial and tribulations teachers like him encounter within the education field.
"During my years as a substitute teacher, I encountered a colleague at the school who had been taking the exam to become a full-time teacher for 10 to 20 years," he said.
"Eventually, he lost some of his passion and chose to focus on improving his skills as a substitute teacher."
According to the Ministry of Education (MOE), 1,760 private school teachers will lose their jobs within five years, and over 6,000 will face the same fate within eight years. Additionally, 40 private colleges will go out of business under the current trend.
The pension reform bill of 2018, which eliminated certain retirement benefits for public school teachers while raising their retirement age, has also contributed to a rise in substitute teachers.
President of the National Federation of Education Unions Huang Yao-nan explained, "The 2018 pension reform provisions for public employees caused many full-time teachers to fear early retirement, resulting in a surplus of substitute teachers with limited employment opportunities."
"This led to a continual increase in the number of substitute teachers in elementary and junior high schools, as well as among college educators," he added.
While the MOE began assisting educators in finding teaching positions in 2017, only about 69 out of 1,000 applicants were successful.
As Taiwan's fertility rate continues to decline, the limbo in education for teachers may become even more prevalent in the future.
