By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
An amendment to the Education Act for Indigenous Peoples (原住民族教育法), which stipulates that the number of Aboriginal teachers at Aboriginal schools should comprise at least one-third of the entire faculty in the next five years, cleared the legislature yesterday.
The amendment aims to ensure that the number of Aboriginal teachers, who tend to be more familiar with Aboriginal culture, would be high enough to pass on the Aboriginal cultural legacy and tradition, according to People First Party (PFP) legislator Lin Cheng-er (林正二).
Aboriginal Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Kung Wen-chi (孔文吉), co-proposer of the amendment, said the amendment would help those young Aborigines who wish to return to their hometown and teach, but were unable to find vacancies.
The amendment also stipulates that the Ministry of Education and local governments must coordinate government-funded programs at universities and schools to train Aboriginal teachers.
In other legislative news, military personnel who commit the crime of drunk driving will receive a tougher penalty after the amendment to Article 54 of the Criminal Code of the Armed Forces (陸海空軍刑法) cleared the legislature’s plenary session.
Drivers with breath alcohol levels of 0.25mg or higher, or blood alcohol levels of 0.05 percent or higher, face prison sentences of up to two years and a fine of up to NT$300,000 (US$10,200).
Offenders who cause the death of a person will be subject to a sentence of up to 10 years in prison and those who cause injuries would receive a sentence of up to seven years.