Minister of Education Cheng Ying-yao Pledges to Revise Long-Service Bonus System to Encourage Teachers in Outlying Island Education

On April 13, Minister of Education Cheng Ying-yao visited schools in Penghu, accompanied by Deputy Executive Officer Yen Tzu-chieh of the Executive Yuan Southern Service Center, Director-General Peng Fu-yuan of the K-12 Education Administration, and Director Chen Ching-hui of the Penghu Education Department. The visit focused on the long-service bonus system for teachers in remote areas. The Penghu County Government stated that under the 'Regulations for the Issuance of Bonuses to Public School Teachers,' the current system for remote area teachers' long-service bonuses in Penghu requires 8 consecutive years of service at the same school. This creates a discrepancy because Penghu has Grade 1 to 3 outlying island schools, and teachers who 'normally rotate' between different grades of outlying islands cannot accumulate their service years. Penghu County Magistrate Chen Kuang-fu raised this issue with Minister Cheng Ying-yao on January 30, proposing that service years should be cumulative for normal rotations or selections due to non-personal factors among Penghu's Grade 1 to 3 outlying islands, to ensure fairness and rationality. Minister Cheng Ying-yao instructed the K-12 Education Administration to initiate revisions to the system, actively responding to grassroots needs. The goal is to improve the system to meet the needs of outlying island education, promote balanced development in remote and outlying island education, and protect students' right to education.