Taipei City website lists debarred preschool teachers

Taipei, Aug. 15 (CNA) The Taipei City Department of Education is now publicly listing the names of preschool teachers who have been banned from working in that profession and the schools at which they worked, as part of an effort to address a recent spike in child abuse cases.

The names of the debarred teachers and the schools are being published on a new dedicated section of the department's website with the aim of better protecting the safety of young children, according to a news release issued by the city government Thursday.

The list of names includes teachers who have been banned from working in the profession, either for life or for a period of one to four years, due to alleged abuse of preschool children in Taipei, the city's education department said.

In addition, the schools at which they were working at the time of the allegations are also being listed on the website for public viewing, the department said.

As of Thursday, there were 22 teachers listed, including Mao Chun-shen (毛畯珅), who was indicted in August last year on charges of sexually abusing six children. The Taipei District Court is expected to hand down a verdict in the case on Friday.

The first complaints against Mao, 30, were filed in June 2022, but he continued to teach at Taipei Piramide School (台北市私立培諾米達幼兒園), which was owned by his mother, until he was arrested a year later in July 2023.

Amid public criticisms of the city government's handling of the matter, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) on July 17 issued an apology to the children at the school and their parents, and he promised to improve the city's relevant policies and procedures.

On Thursday, the education department said the city government will also strengthen its inspection mechanisms in an effort to better protect the safety of preschool children.

It urged parents to contact the department, through its reporting system, if they suspect that their preschool children are being subjected to abuse.