More than a dozen Taiwanese universities have reportedly launched a system of psychological leave.
Psychological leave allows students to take a break from their studies if they feel burnt out and need time to recover.
Schools allow students to take three days off per semester without a doctor’s note, but teachers and universities’ psychological counseling centers are required to ask them about their health. Despite the news of a low birthrate in Taiwan, this measure is good news for higher education.
However, teachers need psychological leave too, especially part-time staff or substitute teachers who are not yet formal teachers. Often, the procedure for teachers to take leave is inconvenient.
First, they need to find another teacher to substitute for their classes or schedule time to make up for missed hours. Next, taking leave from work might result in receiving unfavorable feedback on their teacher’s evaluation at the end of the semester. Therefore, most teachers are reluctant to take any leave unless it is absolutely necessary.
In Taiwan, university teachers are responsible for three major tasks: teaching, research and administration. The chance for promotion is heavily dependent on a teacher’s research performance, as this aspect is considered the most important part of their work. Since writing research papers and preparing for classes requires a lot of time, universities might reward teachers by reducing teaching hours to relieve their burden, allowing them to focus on research.
However, although the ideal situation, in many cases it is not possible to meet these expectations. For example, when it comes to handling student needs, teachers are tasked with marking students’ schoolwork, their daily lives and other sources of stress.
Teachers also need to participate in meetings, such as administrative and academic seminars, while trying hard to recruit students — which could contribute to a fragmented research schedule.
The result is that it might not always be easy for teachers to take leave. Many teachers feel under pressure, attending work even when they are sick for fear of student complaints that could affect their evaluation.
Students can take psychological leave, but the pressure on teachers is not insubstantial in comparison. Many teachers suffer physical and psychological problems due to research pressures, while insomnia and anxiety is common in this profession. Naturally, this would indirectly impact the quality of teaching.
While the public focuses on students’ physical and mental health, teachers’ wellbeing is also an important issue. They are humans, too, after all. As universities create a friendly environment with a virtuous cycle for students, universities should also provide teachers with a chance to catch their breath while caring for students.
Liu Wei-ting is a university assistant professor.
Translated by Eddy Chang
A nation has several pillars of national defense, among them are military strength, energy and food security, and national unity. Military strength is very much on the forefront of the debate, while several recent editorials have dealt with energy security. National unity and a sense of shared purpose — especially while a powerful, hostile state is becoming increasingly menacing — are problematic, and would continue to be until the nation’s schizophrenia is properly managed. The controversy over the past few days over former navy lieutenant commander Lu Li-shih’s (呂禮詩) usage of the term “our China” during an interview about his attendance
Following the BRICS summit held in Kazan, Russia, last month, media outlets circulated familiar narratives about Russia and China’s plans to dethrone the US dollar and build a BRICS-led global order. Each summit brings renewed buzz about a BRICS cross-border payment system designed to replace the SWIFT payment system, allowing members to trade without using US dollars. Articles often highlight the appeal of this concept to BRICS members — bypassing sanctions, reducing US dollar dependence and escaping US influence. They say that, if widely adopted, the US dollar could lose its global currency status. However, none of these articles provide
Bo Guagua (薄瓜瓜), the son of former Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Central Committee Politburo member and former Chongqing Municipal Communist Party secretary Bo Xilai (薄熙來), used his British passport to make a low-key entry into Taiwan on a flight originating in Canada. He is set to marry the granddaughter of former political heavyweight Hsu Wen-cheng (許文政), the founder of Luodong Poh-Ai Hospital in Yilan County’s Luodong Township (羅東). Bo Xilai is a former high-ranking CCP official who was once a challenger to Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) for the chairmanship of the CCP. That makes Bo Guagua a bona fide “third-generation red”
US president-elect Donald Trump earlier this year accused Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) of “stealing” the US chip business. He did so to have a favorable bargaining chip in negotiations with Taiwan. During his first term from 2017 to 2021, Trump demanded that European allies increase their military budgets — especially Germany, where US troops are stationed — and that Japan and South Korea share more of the costs for stationing US troops in their countries. He demanded that rich countries not simply enjoy the “protection” the US has provided since the end of World War II, while being stingy with
RSS