Trying to get going with this blog again. While I'm working on that, I'd like to draw your attention to a recent interview with Chinese artist Ai Weiwei in the Guardian newspaper, published on 22 March, 2020. Ai Weiwei is a very decent person, and a giant of modern art. See how he answers one question in this interview. The question, a very good one, came from from theatre director Jude Kelly:
"If artists aren’t active in the political space, do you think that they are essentially supporting the status quo?
Now if you substitute "teacher" for "artist" then you pretty much have my take on what a teacher must be to be a teacher. It's the overarching requirement. You may think, what has this got to do with EFL in Taiwan? Everything. If you accept the status quo, if you accept the framing and classification and assumptions of schools in Taiwan, you are probably not a teacher in any meaningful sense of the word. I don't mean you should argue with your boss about everything, but you must be prepared to fight your corner and, if necessary, walk away rather than be used in a demeaning way. Most recently, I took the Ministry of Education (MOE) here to task over clause 3.7 in their standard contract for native English government school teachers. I could have accepted the clause, which gives the right for the employer to take photos and videos of the employee and use the material any way they like. But I didn't. Are you kidding me? Why the hell would anyone accept that? I've lodged a complaint with senior authority and intend to fight my corner on this. Meanwhile, by refusing to sign the contract I effectively denied myself access to a job.
Update, Wednesday, April 1, 2020: one response received so far from the Labour Bureau:
Response:
Hello: An email of March 26, 109 has been received.
Regarding your letter, it is recommended to delete Article 3.7 of the contract for the employment of foreign English teachers, and the teacher should agree to allow local governments and schools to record and photograph when teachers are engaged in school activities. This department has transferred to the competent department of the Ministry of Education for reengineering. If in doubt, you can wait for a few days and contact the Ministry of Education directly (tel: 02-77366666) for inquiries. If you have any specific suggestions on the current labor policy, please feel free to provide this Department with reference, so that the government can truly safeguard labor rights and interests, thank you for your advice.
Respect by the Ministry of Labor"
Comment: Vague and ambiguous reply that shifts responsibility.
Update, Tuesday, April 21, 2020
Response:
"If artists aren’t active in the political space, do you think that they are essentially supporting the status quo?
An artist must also be an activist – aesthetically, morally, or philosophically. That doesn’t mean they have to demonstrate in street protests, but rather deal with these issues through a so-called artistic language. Without that kind of consciousness – to be blind to human struggle – one cannot even be called an artist."
 |
| AiWeiWei talking at a recent Human Rights Foundation online event |
Update, Wednesday, April 1, 2020: one response received so far from the Labour Bureau:
Response:
Hello: An email of March 26, 109 has been received.
Regarding your letter, it is recommended to delete Article 3.7 of the contract for the employment of foreign English teachers, and the teacher should agree to allow local governments and schools to record and photograph when teachers are engaged in school activities. This department has transferred to the competent department of the Ministry of Education for reengineering. If in doubt, you can wait for a few days and contact the Ministry of Education directly (tel: 02-77366666) for inquiries. If you have any specific suggestions on the current labor policy, please feel free to provide this Department with reference, so that the government can truly safeguard labor rights and interests, thank you for your advice.
Respect by the Ministry of Labor"
Comment: Vague and ambiguous reply that shifts responsibility.
Update, Tuesday, April 21, 2020
Response:
"Thank you
for your letter to the Office of the President, Republic of China (Taiwan)
dated March 26th 2020, and it has been forwarded to Ministry of Education. We have received your statements on the MOE’s
standard contract for foreign teachers; specifically, regarding Clause 3.7,
please understand that the usage of videos and/or photographs are for the
highest educational purposes.
Teachers,
in Taiwan as well as other parts of the world, are highly professional,
respected, and admired. The fundamental
purpose of Caluse 3.7 is for education and training. The photographs and videos of our
professional teaching crew) both local and foreign teachers are used to:
1) Satisfy
the nascent and growing learning demands of multimedia approached as well as
online education;
2) Benefit
schools with limited demands of multimedia approaches as well as online education;
3) Support
the exchange of teaching strategies in workshops; and
4) Give new
teachers a teaching model to follow.
We do not
wish for you or for other teachers to think we use the videos or photographs “as
we see fit” in nonchalant or negligent ways.
The previously stated goals are not attainable without teacher’s’
willingness to be recorded during their presentations, lessons or other school
activities. Furthermore, the videos and
photos are invaluable resources in maintaining the students’ right to education
during situations where students and teachers are unable to meet face-to-face,
such as the current outbreak of Covid-19.
In light of
the aforementioned, please understand that Clause 3.7 is necessary to provide a
robust and comprehensive education for both students and teachers in
Taiwan. However, if a teacher desires to
negotiate this clause in a contract with his or her employing school, the teacher
may do so before signing the contract.
If you have
any further queries, please do not hesitate to contact us […]
Sincerely,
L-12
Education Administration, Ministry of Education"
Comment: The above letter is an arch bit of spin written, or edited, by a native English speaker. The letter uses rational, but irrelevant, arguments to justify an unprincipled clause in a contract that is also a legal document. A teacher cannot negotiate to have the clause removed. Clause 3.7 should not be there in the first place. Teachers will be more than happy to cooperate with any reasonable request for taking pictures/videos etc. The problem is fundamentally about respect based on rights. Saying "no" is not, technically speaking, an option for a teacher according to this clause, in fact the reverse is true. In other words, Clause 3.7 is deeply disrespectful to teachers and it should be removed from the standard contract period. That is not going to happen unless collective pressure is brought upon the ministry. Actually teachers in Taiwan are not respected because they have no power. They are denied the right to associate as soon as they enter the profession. This applies to all teachers in Taiwan, not just the ones working in government schools. The "respect" afforded teachers by Taiwan's Ministry of Education is token and meaningless.
Have I been wasting my time? No. At least I made them think about the issue. I forced them to work. Only together can we actually bring about change. Always write and complain, don't just accept things. Activist equals action. By forcing the MOE here to think and to work I achieved a small victory, and small victories count.
Have I been wasting my time? No. At least I made them think about the issue. I forced them to work. Only together can we actually bring about change. Always write and complain, don't just accept things. Activist equals action. By forcing the MOE here to think and to work I achieved a small victory, and small victories count.
