Hsinchu City Implements Teacher Workload Reduction and Staff Increase! Mayor Kao Announces Three 'New Heart' Education Policies

To reduce the burden on frontline teachers and create a more comprehensive teaching environment, Hsinchu City Mayor Kao Hung-an has officially approved and signed relevant documents to implement the elementary school 'Reduced Teaching Hours with Additional Staff' policy. This includes adding 30 non-regular substitute teaching positions and reducing the weekly teaching hours for junior high school arts, integrated activities, and health & physical education subjects from 19 to 18, taking concrete action to support teacher professionalism and fulfill the 'Hsinchu Good Learning' policy vision. Entering the 'Year of AI Education,' the city government is simultaneously promoting the 'Three New Heart Highlights of Education' policy, focusing on three key areas: 'Reduced Administrative Burden for Teacher Peace of Mind,' 'Refined Teaching for Parental Confidence,' and 'Dedicated Implementation of Hsinchu Good Learning by the City Government,' aiming to build a more supportive educational environment.

The 'New Heart' education policy emphasizes teacher peace of mind, parental confidence, and the city government's dedication. Mayor Kao Hung-an stated that to address teaching demands arising from reduced teaching hours for elementary school teachers兼任主任 and 組長, the city government will allocate 30 additional staff positions (non-regular substitute teachers) in the 115th academic year based on each school's actual reduced teaching hours, effectively reducing administrative burden and allowing teachers to dedicate more time to teaching, lesson preparation, and student counseling. The city government has consolidated funding sources and allocated NT$24 million to directly support elementary school classrooms, reducing frontline teachers' teaching pressure through additional staffing and creating a more supportive teaching environment, further safeguarding students' right to education.

Hsinchu City will allocate 30 additional staff positions (non-regular substitute teachers) in the 115th academic year based on the actual reduced teaching hours at each elementary school, effectively reducing administrative burden. (Photo/Courtesy of Hsinchu City Government)

Kao Hung-an pointed out that since her tenure began, starting from the first semester of the 112th academic year, the weekly teaching hours for eight subjects in junior high schools in Hsinchu City—music, visual arts, performing arts, home economics, scouting, counseling, health education, and physical education—under the arts, integrated activities, and health & physical education domains, have been reduced from 20 to 19 hours per week. Although these subjects are not typically considered 'exam subjects,' teachers still shoulder responsibilities such as team training, competition guidance, and related administrative tasks, with commitments and contributions comparable to those in other subjects. To further reduce teachers' teaching burden, starting from the 115th academic year, the city government will further reduce the weekly teaching hours for these eight subjects from 19 to 18, and plans to allocate approximately NT$4.6 million annually to support this initiative, realizing the concept of equal value across all subjects, breaking down academic barriers, and promoting balanced development across all five educational domains.

Director Lin Li-sheng of the Education Bureau explained that the city government is also actively promoting teacher 'peace of mind' policies and continuously building a comprehensive teacher support system. To promote smooth school operations, enhance the morale of teachers兼任administrative roles, and improve overall administrative efficiency, incentive bonuses for school administrative personnel have been issued starting February 1 of this year. These bonuses are disbursed monthly per semester, with principals receiving up to NT$2,000 per month, department directors NT$1,500, and group leaders and deputy group leaders NT$1,000. The city has allocated up to NT$20 million to support this initiative, taking concrete action to recognize the contributions of the education administrative team and enabling teachers to focus more confidently on their educational work.

Starting from the 115th academic year, the city government will further reduce the weekly teaching hours for the eight subjects in the arts domain in Hsinchu City's junior high schools from 19 to 18, with an annual budget allocation of approximately NT$4.6 million. (Photo/Courtesy of Hsinchu City Government)

Lin Li-sheng noted that the city government continues to improve teacher support measures, increasing the budget for teacher psychological counseling from NT$535,000 to NT$1.1 million, and allocating NT$900,000 for a competitive program to provide legal counseling for teachers, offering legal consultation services for public service-related litigation, assisting teachers in handling legal issues arising from their duties, protecting teachers' rights, and boosting morale.

The Education Bureau added that the city government will continue to deepen the 'Hsinchu Good Learning' education vision through measures such as administrative burden reduction, teacher support, and teaching refinement, alleviating teachers' teaching and administrative burdens, allowing teachers to teach with peace of mind, students to learn with peace of mind, and parents to entrust their children with confidence. Facing the new era of rapid AI development, the city government will continue to promote educational innovation, practicing the four core educational values of 'international, technological, humanistic, and sustainable,' creating a forward-looking and competitive educational environment to cultivate outstanding talents ready for the future.