Absence Without Leave Not to Be Punished by Warning Sparks Debate; Ministry of Education Clarifies Distinction Between Attendance Management and Rewards/Punishments

(CNA reporter Chen Chih-chung Taipei, July 2nd) A recent requirement by Taoyuan City for schools to amend their regulations, stating that students cannot be given a warning for truancy (unauthorized absence), has sparked heated discussion online. The Ministry of Education explained that this is to distinguish between attendance management and rewards/punishments, to avoid double penalties, and that teachers can still implement guidance and disciplinary measures.

Taoyuan City's Department of Education recently requested all schools to review their regulations and remove inappropriate clauses. For example, truancy and tardiness, considered misconduct, cannot be punished by issuing a warning. After media reports, this has caused a heated online debate, with many worrying that students will not be held accountable for skipping class in the future and that teachers will lose the ability to manage students.

The Ministry of Education responded in writing to CNA yesterday, stating that it respects local education authorities' supervision of schools under their jurisdiction according to law and suggests that when schools establish student reward and punishment regulations, they should balance the exercise of teachers' reasonable disciplinary rights with the protection of students' rights.

The Ministry of Education further elaborated on the policy's rationale in a Facebook post today, explaining that it stemmed from a student's administrative appeal. The appellate body determined that unauthorized absence falls under the scope of attendance management and learning assessment. If it were directly used as a reason for rewards or punishments, such as a warning, there might be legal doubts. Therefore, it is necessary to distinguish between "attendance management" and "student rewards/punishments" to avoid duplicate handling of the same behavior.

When the Legislative Yuan reviewed the "Compulsory Education Act" in 2023, it also called for a review of related reward and punishment systems. The Ministry of Education subsequently established the "Regulations for Rewards and Punishments of Students in Elementary and Junior High Schools" in 2024, stipulating that students' attendance status cannot be used to issue warnings. This has been implemented for many years and was not recently amended.

The Ministry of Education emphasized that students' attendance may still affect their learning assessments and graduation qualifications, and schools will still have relevant attendance management and guidance mechanisms.

Furthermore, although warnings cannot be issued, teachers can still take disciplinary and guidance measures according to law, such as written self-reflection, appropriate sitting or standing for reflection, and recording in daily life performance records. They can also notify parents for supervision, which does not mean completely canceling teachers' disciplinary authority. (Editor: Chang Ming-kun) 0702

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