The Control Yuan proposed ‘corrective measures’ to the Executive Yuan last week that may have considerable impact on legal English teaching IF the Executive Yuan actually decides to do anything. Basically the Control Yuan has ruled that Ministry Of Education’s administrative order allowing Buxibans to contract teachers out to kindergartens was illegal. The Executive Yuan now has two months to “correct” the Ministry’s administrative order. While the Control Yuan cannot compel the Executive Yuan to ban foreign teachers from teaching in kindergartens, this kind of corrective measure is a kind of political liability for the Executive Yuan and, given rising sentivities about unemployment and an upcoming election, it would be unwise to simply assume that the Executive Yuan will just sit on this one.
The corrective measures also call for the establishment of a permit system for foreigners teaching in junior and senior high schools and strongly suggest that the kind of ‘farming out’ mentioned in an earlier thread is illegal.
The current legal situation of foreign teachers in public schools and kindergartens is very much a grey area, but it is also one that is receiving more scrutiny. Let me emphasize that nothing has happened yet, but also suggest that there could be big changes in the not too distant future.