The Ministry of Education yesterday apologized and vowed to re-examine the case of a teacher accused of bullying students at the National Taiwan Sports University.

Taiwan People’s Party caucus leader Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) held a press conference with a former student named Wu (吳), a victim of alleged bullying that occurred before Wu was granted his diploma from school this year.

The teacher, a department head named Hung (洪), was accused of verbal abuse, as well as violent and threatening actions, including planting a knife in an office and breaking down a door.

Photo: Tu Chien-jung, Taipei Times

“Over the years, many victims changed schools or withdrew from the sports club,” Huang said, referring to the teacher’s alleged threatening behavior in sports-related classes and groups he was responsible for.

Department of Student Affairs and Special Education Director Wu Lin-hui (吳林輝) apologized to the recent graduate and acknowledged the harm caused by the teacher’s allegations of bullying.

The official admitted that the case was first reported in May, but the ministry did not respond officially to the complainant until October.

“Students interviewed during the investigation clearly believed there had been an impropriety, but the conclusion was that it did not meet the criteria for bullying,” he said.

Wu Lin-hui said he now believes the teacher’s “emotional management” and “manner of leading students” were “extremely inappropriate” and “constitute violations of the Teachers’ Act (教師法) “.

The official did not say whether the teacher still worked at the school.

He pledged to re-examine the initial investigation report and “request the school to convene a faculty review meeting” to address the matter.

Wu Lin-hui’s stated determination to combat allegations of bullying echoes other official statements made in recent weeks.

The recent wave of bullying investigations began with the high-profile November 20 firing of a Labor Department official involved in the suicide of a civil servant in October.