found that corporal punishment is still happening in schools, and there
are instances of corporal punishment in disguised forms. Children under
the age of 12 actually are the majority of the targets of corporal
punishment on campus.57 Students with disabilities are also subject to
verbal abuse, corporal punishment, and maltreatment on campus,
resulting in suicidal or self-harming behavior of the child.58
80. In practice, it is common for schools to incorrectly identify "corporal
punishment" as "improper discipline" when investigating and handling
teachers' illegal punishments. The investigation by the Control Yuan59
found that the main difficulty of eradicating corporal punishment in
schools is that the investigation and deliberation of controversial
incidents are all determined and handled internally by the schools where
the teachers serve. In addition, the legal framework lacks a mechanism
to protect the rights of parents of punished students to participate,
disagree, and seek remedies, which has led the public to think teachers
simply protect each other in the investigation process. It is likely that
corporal punishment on campus is more serious than what the
government data suggests.
81. Recommendations:
(1) In order to actively prevent corporal punishment, the MOE
should refer to the 2006 UNESCO Positive Discipline in the
Inclusive, Learning-Friendly Classroom – A Guide for Teachers
and Teacher Educators60 to monitor and analyze the causes of
disciplinary conflicts at all levels of school, and to establish and
provide clear guidelines for teachers.
57
58
59
60
in Tainan City ). The Control Yuan investigation report approved on Apr 11, 2019 (A Teacher Ordered
a 1st Grade Student to Nap on the Balcony during Lunch Break in Zhong-Yi Elementary School, New
Taipei City).
2019 Campus Security Analysis Report by MOE: In 2019, 54.58% (167) of corporal punishment
incidents reported occurred in elementary schools, 21.57% (66) in junior high schools, and 17.32%
(53) in kindergartens; 71.9% of corporal punishment incidents occurred in elementary schools and
below.
The Control Yuan investigation report approved on May 16, 2019 (Student with Tourette's Syndrome
at Taipei Minquan Junior High School and Student at Sinjin Elementary School in Tainan City
Jumped from a Building to Commit Suicide). The Control Yuan investigation report approved on Jul
16, 2020 (Incompetent Special Education Teacher at Jheng Sing Elementary School in Kaohsiung
City). The Control Yuan investigation report approved on Nov 11, 2021 (Special Education at Sin Jie
Elementary School in Taoyuan). The Control Yuan investigation report approved on Feb 13, 2019
(Teacher Abuse of Student at National Chiayi Special Education School).
The Control Yuan investigation report approved on Apr 11, 2019 (A Teacher Ordered a 1st Grade
Student to Nap on the Balcony during Lunch Break in Zhong-Yi Elementary School, New Taipei
City).
Positive discipline in the inclusive, learning-friendly classroom: a guide for teachers and teacher
educators. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000149284
42