Creating a Family-Friendly Environment: NCHU Reduces Teaching Hours for Expecting Teachers and Plans Childcare Center
2024-09-16
興新聞張貼者
Unit秘書室
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National Chung Hsing University (NCHU) is committed to creating a family-friendly environment. Since taking office in August 2023, President Fuh-Jyh Jan has actively promoted several nationwide first initiatives, including reducing teaching hours for teachers who are pregnant or raising children under two years old, planning the establishment of a childcare center for infants aged 0-2, and offering free weekend parking for vehicles carrying children under six years old.
President Jan noted that NCHU currently employs 236 female teachers and 432 female staff, with women accounting for 25% of the total teaching faculty, with an average age of 49, and 71% of the staff, with an average age of 44. Prior to his tenure, some female teachers had expressed concerns about the lack of support for child-rearing in Taiwan. During the university’s consultation meeting in 2023, some members suggested that the university relax regulations to reduce teaching hours for pregnant teachers, instead of relying on personal favors to cover classes.
In response, President Jan made "Creating a Friendly Environment and a Happy Campus" one of the eight pillars of his administration. Within his first three months in office, NCHU amended its guidelines to allow pregnant teachers to apply for a reduction of two teaching hours per week for one semester. Teachers with children under the age of two can apply for the same reduction for up to four semesters, with the goal of setting a positive example for universities across the country to foster a family-friendly atmosphere.
In 2023, NCHU also secured funding from the Ministry of Health and Welfare to collaborate with external professional childcare providers to establish a childcare center on campus. The center will be located on the first and second floors of the small auditorium’s B block and its front plaza, accommodating up to 60 infants and toddlers aged 0-2. Priority for admission will be given to the children of NCHU faculty and staff, and if there are additional spaces available, the center will be open to the grandchildren of faculty and staff, as well as the general public. The center is expected to start enrolling children in July 2025.
Additionally, starting in January 2024, NCHU will offer free parking on weekends for vehicles carrying children under six years old, providing a more welcoming environment for families in the community. NCHU is a well-known organic ecological campus in Taichung, and the Saturday morning organic farmers’ market is an ideal venue for food and farming education. The free parking initiative for family vehicles has been well-received by the public since its introduction.
President Jan stated that in the face of Taiwan's declining birth rate, universities must not only focus on improving the quality of education but also create a supportive childcare environment. By opening the ecological campus to families, NCHU aims to fulfill its social responsibility as a university.
President Jan noted that NCHU currently employs 236 female teachers and 432 female staff, with women accounting for 25% of the total teaching faculty, with an average age of 49, and 71% of the staff, with an average age of 44. Prior to his tenure, some female teachers had expressed concerns about the lack of support for child-rearing in Taiwan. During the university’s consultation meeting in 2023, some members suggested that the university relax regulations to reduce teaching hours for pregnant teachers, instead of relying on personal favors to cover classes.
In response, President Jan made "Creating a Friendly Environment and a Happy Campus" one of the eight pillars of his administration. Within his first three months in office, NCHU amended its guidelines to allow pregnant teachers to apply for a reduction of two teaching hours per week for one semester. Teachers with children under the age of two can apply for the same reduction for up to four semesters, with the goal of setting a positive example for universities across the country to foster a family-friendly atmosphere.
In 2023, NCHU also secured funding from the Ministry of Health and Welfare to collaborate with external professional childcare providers to establish a childcare center on campus. The center will be located on the first and second floors of the small auditorium’s B block and its front plaza, accommodating up to 60 infants and toddlers aged 0-2. Priority for admission will be given to the children of NCHU faculty and staff, and if there are additional spaces available, the center will be open to the grandchildren of faculty and staff, as well as the general public. The center is expected to start enrolling children in July 2025.
Additionally, starting in January 2024, NCHU will offer free parking on weekends for vehicles carrying children under six years old, providing a more welcoming environment for families in the community. NCHU is a well-known organic ecological campus in Taichung, and the Saturday morning organic farmers’ market is an ideal venue for food and farming education. The free parking initiative for family vehicles has been well-received by the public since its introduction.
President Jan stated that in the face of Taiwan's declining birth rate, universities must not only focus on improving the quality of education but also create a supportive childcare environment. By opening the ecological campus to families, NCHU aims to fulfill its social responsibility as a university.
The childcare center will be located on the first and second floors of the small auditorium’s B block and its front plaza
Creating a Family-Friendly Environment: NCHU Reduces Teaching Hours for Expecting Teachers and Plans Childcare Center
