The Cabinet on Thursday approved a draft amendment to a bill on the employment of educational personnel, with the aim of weeding out public school employees convicted of sexual assault, corruption, or national security-related offenses.

Under the amendment to the Act Governing the Appointment of Educators, educational personnel at public schools found guilty of sexual assault, corruption, bullying that inflicts severe physical or mental pain on students, or internal/external state security offenses will be dismissed directly by their schools, without the need for approval by the relevant authorities.

Furthermore, a record of such offenses will permanently disqualify educators from being hired at any public schools, if the amendment passes the Legislature.

The draft bill applies to principals, teachers, staffers, sports coaches at all public schools, professional personnel at social education institutions, and researchers at government-affiliated institutions.

According to the draft amendments, staffers will be fired, with no chance of ever being rehired at any other public schools, if they deliberately fail to report sexual assault that leads to reoccurance of similar incidents on campus.

In addition, the draft bill says that educational personnel will be suspended from their duties for one to four years if they are found guilty of sexual harassment, bullying, or causing mental or physical suffering to students through the use of corporal punishment.

The amendment bill will now be sent to the Legislative Yuan for review.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel