TAIPEI (TVBS News) — As Taiwan celebrates Teachers' Day on Thursday (Sept. 28), research from various educational organizations highlights the low levels of happiness among primary and secondary school teachers in the country.
According to the studies, 30% of teachers reported a happiness index rating below four out of ten, while another 30% indicated a pressure level exceeding six out of ten.
The survey shows that teachers' unhappiness is linked to struggling family dynamics among students. At the same time, society places all its expectations on teachers but provides too little support.
Additionally, experts analyze that the high-pressure teachers face in Taiwan is one of the main reasons for this year's ongoing teacher shortage.
Administrative work, besides teaching, also adds to educators' pressure. Teachers often work over ten hours daily, and the number of administrative work hours for full-time teachers is as high as 2.5 hours. And those who are both teachers and administrators spend 4.7 hours a day on administrative tasks.
The research also revealed that in Taiwan, the happiest teachers are in Penghu County, Kaohsiung City, and Nantou County. The least happy are in Chiayi County, Chiayi City and Tainan City.
