By KHT Staff. Images via Netflix/Liberty Times. Right: KMT Kaohsiung mayoral candidate and Legislator Ko Chih-en (柯志恩).
KAOHSIUNG — KMT Kaohsiung mayoral candidate and Legislator Ko Chih-en (柯志恩) said the popularity of the 2026 Korean campus-conflict drama series Teach You a Lesson, known in Chinese as Iron Fist Education (鐵拳教育), reflects a deeper sense of frustration among Taiwan’s teachers, Liberty Times reported.
The show’s themes have been a much-discussed topic for many in Taiwan. An AI overview of the K-drama’s core storyline reads “Set against the backdrop of a deteriorating educational environment where parents and students regularly overpower teachers, the story focuses on the establishment of the Teachers’ Rights Bureau (or Education Protection Bureau). To combat severe school violence and out-of-control bullying, this elite government agency adopts an “eye for an eye” approach, believing that sometimes “monsters must be caught by monsters.”
Ko said the drama’s scenes of retaliation and vigilante justice may offer emotional release for some viewers, but should not be seen as a real-world solution. She said the response instead shows how many teachers feel trapped between classroom responsibilities, rising parental expectations, and disorderly student behavior.
Ko called on the Ministry of Education (教育部) to review the school affairs meeting system, reduce administrative burdens, clarify teachers’ authority to discipline students, and provide more funding and professional staff for campus counseling.
She said teachers need a dignified teaching environment, stronger legal protections, and clearer support when handling student misconduct.
The comments come as Kaohsiung’s Education Bureau is also moving to reform how schools handle disputes among parents, teachers, and students. The bureau held a consultation meeting on June 5 with teacher unions and principals to discuss a “communication first” mediation mechanism, aimed at preventing disputes from moving too quickly into formal investigation procedures.
The bureau said it also plans to provide legal consultation services for teachers and set up a single assistance window integrating counseling and campus safety resources.
