The Legislative Yuan yesterday passed amendments mandating that senior-high school students make up at least 8 percent of participants at school management meetings, while also expanding a system through which students can appeal policies that they believe would harm their interests.
The first of the measures, which is to take effect on Oct. 1, was proposed by members of the Taiwan People’s Party and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to give students a greater role in decisions that affect their future.
Although the Senior High School Education Act (高級中等教育法) already requires the attendance of student representatives at school management meetings, it does not set a minimum number or proportion of student participants.
This has led to school meetings attended by up to 100 administrators, teachers and parents, but only one to three students, making it difficult for their voices to be heard, supporters of the measure said.
With the changes, student representatives have to make up at least 8 percent of participants, while at least one-third have to be female.
The legislature also passed amendments to set nationwide standards for review committees that high schools use to handle student appeals against campus policies and discipline.
Under the changes, which are to take effect in one year, review committees would have to include at least one expert each in the fields of law, education, children’s rights and psychology.
The government would be required to set up its own review committee to be final arbiters in cases where students oppose rulings issued by school committees.
The government committees must include a majority of members with expertise in the fields and begin processing appeals within 10 days of receiving an appeal, the amendments say.
DPP Legislator Chang Liao Wan-chien (張廖萬堅), who helped draft the amendments, said that the changes to the appeals process were necessary to stop schools from enforcing “outdated” rules that infringe on students’ rights.
For example, many schools in Taiwan still strictly regulate students’ clothing and appearance, prohibit dating, carry out random bag checks and force pupils to study in designated free periods, Chang said.
The changes also follow the “spirit” of the Council of Grand Justices’ Interpretation No. 784, which affirmed students’ right to file legal or administrative appeals against school decisions that affect their rights and interests, he said.
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