Survey: Nearly 60% of Junior High Students in Taiwan Have Classes 'Borrowed', 80% Tested During Self-Study Time

(Central News Agency, Taipei, May 18, by reporter Chang Hsiung-feng) A survey by the Child Welfare League Foundation (CWLF) shows that nearly 60% of junior high school students still have their classes "borrowed" by teachers for other subjects, and over 80% are tested during morning self-study periods. Some schools even circumvent assessment regulations under the guise of "practice." Additionally, the practice of canceling recess or encroaching on lunch breaks remains common. The CWLF released the results of its "2026 Taiwan Junior High School Teaching Normalization Survey" today. The CWLF pointed out that comparing the survey data from 2015 and 2026, the proportion of students experiencing borrowed classes has decreased from 82% to 58.7%. However, more than half of junior high students have still had this experience. The situation worsens with higher grades, rising from 55.7% in the seventh grade to around 60% in the eighth and ninth grades, even developing an unwritten rule where "major subjects eat up minor subjects." As exams approach, classes like physical education and art are more likely to be sacrificed. Furthermore, the survey shows that over 80% of junior high students have been tested during morning self-study. Although this is a slight decrease from 93.9% in 2015, the improvement is nearly stagnant. The investigation further found that many schools distribute test papers under the name of "practice," using "fake practice, real tests" to evade supervision of disguised assessments, reflecting the harsh reality of too many subjects and immense pressure to keep up with the curriculum in junior high. The survey indicates that about half of junior high students have had their break times canceled, with the proportion being higher in private schools than in public ones. The reasons often include punishment, catching up on lessons, or intensified studying before exams. The lack of adequate rest is reflected in students' fatigue and sleep indicators. More than half of the students show moderate or higher levels of fatigue, with about 19.2% experiencing severe fatigue, and fatigue levels increase with grade level. The CWLF survey shows that only 20.8% of junior high students get a full 8 hours of sleep, and nearly 20% (19.5%) sleep less than 6 hours daily. By the ninth grade, when academic pressure is greatest, as many as 57.8% of students sleep less than 7 hours a day. The CWLF stated that junior high students in an environment of "abnormal teaching" have a significantly higher proportion of severe fatigue, indicating that the goal of normalizing junior high school teaching has not been fully achieved. It calls on education authorities to implement relevant supervision mechanisms and to seriously address the long-term problem of students' excessive physical and mental burdens. (Editor: Li Heng-shan) 1150518