Students and parents from the Parents Chairman Association of Taoyuan gathered in front of the Ministry of Education yesterday morning to express their dissatisfaction with teachers' decision to protest in front of the Presidential Office.
The group also urged the government to rename Sept. 28 "National Education Day," instead of "National Teachers' Day."
"According to the Confucian tradition, Sept. 28 should be about our children's education, and yet it is now devoted to teachers' benefits," said Wang Hsiu-chin (王秀琴), office dean of the association and one of the organizers of the event.
"We feel that when the teachers take to the streets and protest, they set a bad example for students," Wang added. "Because they are teachers all the students are closely observing their actions, and yet they demonstrate a selfish attitude in asking for personal benefits and seeking to form a union."
"The fact that almost all students attend cram schools outside of school proves that Taiwanese education needs improvement. Teachers should not be out protesting when they haven't done their job," Wang said.
Teachers at the protest expressed disappointment with the parents' protest.
Lyu Hsiu-chu (呂秀菊), president of the National Teachers' Association ROC, said, "I can't understand why the parents would protest. Parents and teachers should be partners in education, but some choose to manipulate our motivation for protesting. This only hurts educational reform."
National Teachers' Association ROC vice president Hong Long-ciou (洪龍秋) echoed Lyu, saying, "To promote educational reform, teachers and parents need to stand together."
Wang estimated that around 100 supporters joined the parents' protest. Students performed a skit using tests and study aids as props and costumes.
Justin Lu (盧王鈞), a sixth-grader from Taoyuan, gave voice to the students' point of view, saying, "Of course some kids are opposed to the teachers' protest. Some students think the teachers are pretty stupid because they are sacrificing the needs of adorable students like myself to protest."
He said that most of the teachers had failed to say anything about the protest at school. He said that he had participated in the parents' protest because he felt like taking action.
Super Typhoon Kong-rey is the largest cyclone to impact Taiwan in 27 years, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said today. Kong-rey’s radius of maximum wind (RMW) — the distance between the center of a cyclone and its band of strongest winds — has expanded to 320km, CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張竣堯) said. The last time a typhoon of comparable strength with an RMW larger than 300km made landfall in Taiwan was Typhoon Herb in 1996, he said. Herb made landfall between Keelung and Suao (蘇澳) in Yilan County with an RMW of 350km, Chang said. The weather station in Alishan (阿里山) recorded 1.09m of
STORM’S PATH: Kong-Rey could be the first typhoon to make landfall in Taiwan in November since Gilda in 1967. Taitung-Green Island ferry services have been halted Tropical Storm Kong-rey is forecast to strengthen into a typhoon early today and could make landfall in Taitung County between late Thursday and early Friday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 2pm yesterday, Kong-Rey was 1,030km east-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), the nation’s southernmost point, and was moving west at 7kph. The tropical storm was packing maximum sustained winds of 101kph, with gusts of up to 126 kph, CWA data showed. After landing in Taitung, the eye of the storm is forecast to move into the Taiwan Strait through central Taiwan on Friday morning, the agency said. With the storm moving
NO WORK, CLASS: President William Lai urged people in the eastern, southern and northern parts of the country to be on alert, with Typhoon Kong-rey approaching Typhoon Kong-rey is expected to make landfall on Taiwan’s east coast today, with work and classes canceled nationwide. Packing gusts of nearly 300kph, the storm yesterday intensified into a typhoon and was expected to gain even more strength before hitting Taitung County, the US Navy’s Joint Typhoon Warning Center said. The storm is forecast to cross Taiwan’s south, enter the Taiwan Strait and head toward China, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The CWA labeled the storm a “strong typhoon,” the most powerful on its scale. Up to 1.2m of rainfall was expected in mountainous areas of eastern Taiwan and destructive winds are likely
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday at 5:30pm issued a sea warning for Typhoon Kong-rey as the storm drew closer to the east coast. As of 8pm yesterday, the storm was 670km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻) and traveling northwest at 12kph to 16kph. It was packing maximum sustained winds of 162kph and gusts of up to 198kph, the CWA said. A land warning might be issued this morning for the storm, which is expected to have the strongest impact on Taiwan from tonight to early Friday morning, the agency said. Orchid Island (Lanyu, 蘭嶼) and Green Island (綠島) canceled classes and work
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