Lawmakers move to legislate 'Teacher Protection Act'

Netflix drama series "Teach You a Lesson" [Provided by Netflix]
Netflix drama series "Teach You a Lesson" [Provided by Netflix]

As the Netflix drama series "Teach You a Lesson" continues its global run, the show is spurring a legislative push in Taiwan to protect teachers' rights.

According to Taiwanese media including China Times on Monday, Ke Zhi-en, a lawmaker of the opposition Kuomintang party and a trained educational psychologist, said the show — which shines a light on the realities of South Korea's public school system — has resonated deeply with teachers in Taiwan. He called for the enactment of a special law guaranteeing teachers' physical and mental health and protecting their rights.

Ke said teachers in Taiwan are subjected daily to a barrage of lawsuits related to their educational duties, psychological pressure from malicious complaints, and workplace harassment.

[Provided by Netflix]
[Provided by Netflix]

Ke also said the drama — in which inspectors from a fictional agency under the Ministry of Education use force and punishment to restore order in a broken school system — has ignited debate over teachers' right to discipline students. He urged the Ministry of Education to shed its bureaucratic mindset and take immediate action.

He added that he has repeatedly called for the special legislation and that 5,313 citizens have signed a related online petition.

Wu Pei-yi, a lawmaker from the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, also agreed that teachers' occupational safety must be meaningfully strengthened and said the Legislative Yuan should hold in-depth discussions on relevant legislation.


yckim6452@heraldcorp.com