Preparations to upgrade Hsinchu City's Jianhua Junior High School into a full secondary school have run into controversy. The preparatory office denies breaking any rules, but the objections raised by a substitute teachers' union are proving awkward for the city government.

• Mayor Ann Kao recently unveiled the plaque for the Jianhua High School preparatory office, with Hsinke Junior High School principal Lin Yen-ling concurrently serving as its director.
• The National Substitute and Supply Teachers' Industrial Union questions whether the office's open recruitment of substitute teachers without subject specification to perform administrative work may be unlawful.
• The preparatory office responded that substitute and supply teachers take part only in curriculum development and preparatory collaboration, and are not responsible for the core administrative work of establishing the school or for director and section-chief posts.
• The reason for recruiting without specifying subjects, it said, was to break down disciplinary boundaries and bring in a more diverse pool of talent.
• Because the conditions for appointing full-time teachers on the formal establishment plan are not yet in place, substitute and supply teachers are being used to fill the gap for now.

Outlook: The preparatory office maintains that it is proceeding in accordance with the law, with the goal of having Jianhua High School open enrolment on schedule in the 2027 academic year, but the union's objections are unlikely to subside in the short term.