TAIPEI (TVBS News) — A Democratic Progressive Party (DPP, 民進黨) legislator urged immediate attention to the shortage of teachers in primary and secondary schools on Monday (Oct. 7). The Legislative Yuan's Education and Culture Committee (立法院教育及文化委員會) held a session to address this issue.
DPP Legislator Lin I-chin (林宜瑾) highlighted online estimates based on Ministry of Education (MOE, 教育部) data, warning that new chemistry teachers may be nonexistent by 2025, with physics and biology teachers following by 2027 and 2028, respectively.
Several counties and cities struggled to find substitute teachers before the start of the school year in late Aug., underscoring the severity of the teacher shortage. Lin attributed the crisis to factors such as the difficulty of teacher certification exams, delayed retirement due to pension reforms, limited job openings, administrative burdens, and inadequate salaries.
Education Minister Cheng Ying-yao (鄭英耀) acknowledged the challenges despite a current reserve of qualified educators. Cheng explained that the ministry is reviewing policies and reducing administrative duties to alleviate teachers' workloads.
He added that the MOE plans to collaborate with local governments to offer competitive salaries and aims to elevate teachers' social status, especially by enhancing rural teacher training through in-person and online methods.
