Address the shortage of teachers

According to the Ministry of Education’s latest International Comparison of Education Statistical Indicators, Taiwan has a lower proportion of teachers under the age of 40 in elementary and junior-high schools than its neighbors Japan and South Korea — in fact, Taiwan’s share stands at only about half that of the two countries. In other words, the nation’s teaching workforce is clearly aging and faces a growing generational gap.

As the saying goes, with age comes wisdom — teachers that have accumulated more years of experience tend to have developed a deeper understanding of teaching, and are better able at identifying key curriculum priorities and communicating with parents, making them less likely to make mistakes. However, as technology advances rapidly, some older teachers are slower to adapt to new teaching methods and integrate artificial intelligence into the classroom. They tend to be less receptive to these changes, making it more difficult for them to adapt to today’s educational environment.

Furthermore, a significant generational gap between older teachers and their students can make it harder for teachers to understand the younger generation’s perspectives and language, increasing the likelihood of misunderstandings and ultimately undermining teaching quality.

Taiwan might experience an education crisis over the next five to six years, as the retirement of senior teachers leaves schools facing a severe staffing gap with too few younger teachers to fill their places. Young people today are generally reluctant to enter the teaching profession because salaries and benefits are not attractive enough to compensate for the heavy responsibilities. Without early preventive measures, schools could find themselves relying increasingly on substitute teachers, creating further instability and potentially jeopardizing the quality of education in elementary and junior-high schools.

To prevent this, the ministry must take action on several fronts. First, it must find ways to retain experienced teachers so they can pass on their knowledge and expertise to their less experienced colleagues; it must offer greater incentives to attract younger people to teaching; and it must urgently assess potential teacher shortages in elementary and junior-high schools across the nation, project future staffing needs amid falling student numbers caused by a declining birthrate and prepare well in advance to ensure that future students are not left without teachers.

To avoid sacrificing students’ rights to education and falling behind Japan and South Korea in educational quality, the ministry can no longer turn a blind eye to these stark figures. It must act swiftly to develop effective measures to address the looming teacher shortage.