By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
Public-sector workers who go to work in private education institutions after retiring from government positions can make more than ministerial officials and squeeze young academics out of job opportunities, a Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmaker said yesterday.
A total of 2,548 retired military, government and public-school workers are now employed at private schools as teachers or administration staff, receiving a monthly wage on top of their pension, DPP Legislator Chiu Chih-wei (邱志偉) told a press conference, citing statistics from the Ministry of Education.
Such a situation is unjust. as it takes away positions at a time when unemployed young teachers and academics are scattered around the nation, Chiu said, adding that he would propose amending legislation to prohibit such employment.
A retired public-school principal hired to do the same job at a private school can make up to NT$250,000 a month, which is more than the salary of a Cabinet-level minister, said Wu Chung-tai (吳忠泰), president of the National Federation of Teachers Unions.
“Of course it’s unfair to us,” Wu said, adding that if retired educators were still passionate about working in education, they could work part-time rather than take a full-time job at a time when such jobs are scarce.
Nian Hui-chuan (粘惠娟), a coordinator in the ministry’s Department of Personnel, said the ministry had taken note of the issue and planned to amend regulations to resolve the problem as part of the national pension reform effort.