In the wake of the apparent suicide of bestselling novelist Lin Yi-han, Education Minister Pan Wen-chung said Monday that more stringent background checks were needed to vet potential cram school instructors. Pan made the remarks during a committee meeting at the Legislative Yuan, saying the government was working to draft legislation for clearer vetting guidelines to ensure student safety and to put parents at ease. The minister would not answer directly if police-issued background checks would be part of those guidelines, saying only that "strict standards" would be necessary for cram school staff member hiring. He also reminded all local governments to work in accordance with existing laws aimed at preventing sexual abuse and harassment in cram schools. Lin apparently committed suicide less than two weeks ago, with her parents denying that it was caused by the author's depression but rather by the traumatic experiences she suffered at the hands of a teacher during her teenage years.

Source: The China Post May 08, 2017 03:33 UTC