Since taking office in September of 2020 the 13th-term Examination Yuan and its subordinate agencies have responded to changing national development needs and public expectations for the nation’s future by reviewing and streamlining examination and qualification screening policies, as well as personnel systems. Having made considerable progress, we hereby submit this report on our policy implementation achievements.
I. Implementation of Examination Yuan Affairs
1. Digital transformation of the Examination Yuan strengthens digital governance
Established in February of 2021, the Examination Yuan Digital Transformation Committee promotes stronger joint information security throughout the organization, computerization of national testing, integration and application of public servant personnel data, digitalization of national testing qualification certificates, open data, and digital competence training for civil servants. The Open Data Task Force, established in April, is responsible for enhancing data quality and setting up a platform to coordinate cross-domain cooperation.
2. Implemented digitalization of national examinations and qualification certificate issuance
To enhance examination and qualification certificate management, digitalization of the certificate issuance process was prioritized to allow the public to quickly download and use certificates after completing the identification verification procedure. This requires setting up an e-certificate service platform and verification mechanism, with a pilot project expected to begin in August of 2022.
3. Published National Human Resources Forum e-Newsletter to introduce diverse viewpoints and activate policy
Began to publish a monthly National Human Resources Forum e-Newsletter in January of 2021 to foster open communication. Each issue provides a platform for social dialogue and policy communication by inviting experts from industry, government, academia, and research institutions to publish diverse perspectives on a designated topic each month.
4. Set up a Facebook page and held timely discussion forums of all types to strengthen two-way communication with society
To strengthen two-way communication channels with society, launched a Facebook page in December of 2020 using easy-to-understand graphics and text to give the public a better understanding of the operations and duties of the Examination Yuan and its subordinate agencies and expand social participation. Also held forums of all types to discuss digital transformation, examination and selection of governance talent, cross-domain talent exchanges, human resources transformation, and pension systems in various countries to strengthen communication among government, local public opinion, and occupational groups at all levels.
5. Submitted major bills to the Legislative Yuan for deliberation
i. Repealed the Examination Invigilation Act, abolishing the outdated invigilation system and replacing human supervision with an information security management mechanism.
ii. Amended the Examination Affairs Act to increase criminal liability and strengthen the accountability mechanism for personnel who leak test questions or commit fraud. Also amended the Civil Service Examinations Act and the Professional and Technical Personnel Examinations Act so that a disposition that confirms a candidate has passed an examination or been certified as qualified may be revoked.
iii. Amended the Civil Service Employment Act to ease restrictions on joint staffing charts to increase employment flexibility for government institutions and eliminate employees on probation who are unsuitable.
iv. Amended the Act Governing Civil Servants’ Retirement, Discharge and Pensions and the Act Governing the Recompense for the Discharge of Special Political Appointees. In conformance with Judicial Yuan Interpretation No.782, deleted provisions that suspended monthly pension payments to persons re-appointed to a position at a private school after separation, and amended the taxation mechanism. Also amended the Act Governing Public Service Pension Fund Management, conforming to adjustments in the taxation mechanism by adding a provision exempting the Fund from various taxes.
v. Amended the Civil Servant and Teacher Insurance Act, easing restrictions to allow both a civil servant and their spouse who is also a civil servant to receive parental leave allowance at the same time for the same child.
vi. Amended the Civil Servant Work Act and the Civil Service Protection Act in response to Judicial Yuan Interpretation No. 785,setting up a regulatory framework regarding compensation for service hours and overtime by civil servants engaged by an institution that, due to the special nature of its business, requires shift work and rotating days off.
6. Reviewed the suitability of laws and regulations where the Examination Yuan and its subordinate agencies are the competent authority
To ensure that the Examination Yuan and its subordinate institutions apply the law correctly and appropriately, initiated a comprehensive evaluation of 755 types of laws, regulations, and administrative directives in all categories, 259 of which should be amended or repealed. Almost 90 percent of the review process should be completed by the end of 2021.
II. Examination Affairs
1. Upgraded foreign affairs capabilities of government teams in coordination with the Bilingual Nation Policy and New Southbound Policy
Implemented examination plans based on civil servants’ level of involvement in foreign affairs to upgrade government foreign affairs capabilities and increase national competitiveness: increased the weight of English language scores in calculating overall scores for the Level 3 Civil Service Senior Examination and Special Examinations for Local Governments; added an English qualification test to some examination categories, and English (Division 2) essay questions to the Civil Service Special Examination for Diplomatic and Consular Personnel; added the Thai, Vietnamese, and Indonesian languages to the Special Examination for International Trade Personnel.
2. Developed a more flexible legal system for examinations to make professional government services more effective
Researched and amended examination laws and regulations to allow employing institutions to hire professional and suitable personnel and give public professional and technical personnel more practical experience including: eliminated official document language and formatting sections from senior and junior examinations and local special examinations; added marine administration and marine technology categories to Level 3 Civil Service Senior Examinations; added a required number of years of practical experience to qualify as a public social worker, and increased the weighting of oral examinations in overall examination scores for all public professional and technical personnel.
3. Adopted examination regulations for public health specialists to ensure they have the professional competencies to meet society’s needs
In December of 2020, adopted and issued examination regulations for public health specialists to ensure professional service quality, adding epidemic prevention capabilities to improve the public health service system; launched construction of a personnel database for Board of Examiners members in the field of public health, with the first examination scheduled for late November of 2021.
4. Reformed the examination system, amended the Examination Affairs Act, and repealed the Examination Invigilation Act
Amended Article 31 of the Examination Affairs Act to increase penalties for examination personnel that commit fraud, and strengthen the Ministry of Examination' right to recourse; amended Article 20 of the Civil Service Examinations Act and Article 17 of the Professional and Technical Personnel Examinations Act to stipulate that if an examination-related information leak or fraud are discovered after examination results are made public, dispositions stating that a candidate has passed an examination or obtained certification qualification may be revoked, and when necessary, the examination process reopened.
Repealed the Examination Invigilation Act, replacing human supervision with an information security management mechanism; made corresponding amendments to Article 10 of the Examination Affairs Act, Article 26 of the Civil Service Examinations Act, and Article 21 of the Professional and Technical Personnel Examinations Act.
5. Computerized national examinations, with the 2022 examinations for psychologists the first to adopt online submission of answers to essay questions
Established a National Examination Digital Transformation Promotion Task Force; began phased implementation of a system to allow the online submission of answers to essay questions, beginning with examinations for clinical and counseling psychologists in 2022; and expanded examination hall capacity for computerized testing.
Also set up a Mandarin-English bilingual digitized data bank for test questions in some subjects for the Civil Service Special Examination for Diplomatic and Consular Personnel.
6. Effectively adapted to surges in COVID-19 infections and completed numerous national examinations
To address both disease prevention and safety issues when epidemic alert levels were raised: adjusted national examination schedule plans; drafted contingency plans; effectively distributed crowd flows, and strengthened disease prevention practices to complete many examinations.
Amended examination hall regulations, adding rules to prevent the spread of infectious diseases and handle rule violations to maintain national examination safety, and the health of examinees and examination personnel.
7. Established a Civil Service Preparation Corps and held the first training activities for potential local government civil servants
Established the Civil Service Preparation Corps to strengthen recruitment of high-quality civil service personnel, giving outstanding students opportunities to engage with the civil service system early on. In 2021, conducted the first training and development activities for potential local government civil servants, with visits to the Keelung City government for research and study, encouraging students to integrate their practical experience in local government and use creative thinking to resolve local issues.
8. Conducted a series of local symposiums on national examinations to recruit talent to serve the nation
Beginning in December of 2019, held symposiums to discuss national examinations in counties and cities to better understand local civil service and professional and technical personnel needs, conducting direct exchanges with local governments, educational institutions, and occupational groups. As of September 2021, symposiums have been held in Yunlin, Miaoli, Yilan, and Pingtung counties.
III. Qualification Screening Affairs
1. Implemented parent-friendly, progressive personnel policies
Amended the Regulations for Retaining Civil Service Position without Pay to allow a civil servant and their spouse to concurrently apply for parental leave to raise children, and then resume their original (supervisory) duties upon reinstatement; made appropriate adjustments to allow civil servants to apply to care for grandchildren under the age of three. Also amended the Civil Servant and Teacher Insurance Act to allow spouses to concurrently apply for and receive unpaid parental leave allowance for the same child.
Amended the Civil Servant Retirement, Discharge and Pensions Act Enforcement Rules so that civil servants that apply for unpaid parental leave allowance and choose to pay full pension fund premiums may also choose to defer premium payments to reduce financial pressure.
2. Amended the Civil Service Employment Act to help retain superior talent and remove unsuitable personnel
Amended the Civil Service Employment Act to allow government institutions to use joint staffing charts, giving them hiring flexibility and the ability to dismiss unsuitable probationary personnel, while civil servants who are removed from their positions are ineligible for appointment within one year.
3. Liberalized the use of joint staffing charts and raised the occupational grade of chief administrators to give local governments more flexibility in hiring
In addition to amending the Civil Service Employment Act as mentioned above and liberalizing the use of joint staffing charts, to address diverse governance styles and personnel needs at all levels, the occupational grade of chief administrators of district offices in Special Municipalities with a population of over 400,000 was raised to help make city governments in those municipalities more effective and boost local development of personnel.
4. Raised the condolence subsidy for civil servants who are injured or die while performing their duties, increasing bereavement benefits for the brave conductor of the Taroko Express No. 408
Amended the Regulations Governing the Awards of Solatium to a Civil Servant Injured, Deformed or Died Due to Performing Duties, liberalizing criteria for accident determination and increasing the scope of condolence payments in case of death. A civil servant that suffers injury in the line of duty and receives medical treatment, but is not hospitalized, may also apply for a condolence payment. Post-amendment provisions apply to cases that have already occurred or have not yet been approved. That includes the Taroko Express accident case, where deliberations were quickly concluded and the conductor’s family has received a condolence payment and care.
5. Amended pension laws, deleting provisions that suspended monthly pension payments to persons re-appointed to a position at a private school after separation
In response to Judicial Yuan Interpretation No. 782, amended the Act Governing Civil Servants’ Retirement, Discharge and Pensions and the Act Governing the Recompense for the Discharge of Special Political Appointees, deleting provisions that suspended monthly pension payments to persons re-appointed to a position at a private school after separation, retroactive to August 23, 2019, the date the interpretation was promulgated and implemented. Also amended the taxation mechanism to make it consistent with the tax provisions for laborers and private school teaching and administrative staff.
6. Strengthened supervision of the Public Servant and Teacher Insurance Program, whose reserve fund performance was the best among the six major government funds
The Public Servant and Teacher Insurance Supervisory Committee convenes regularly to supervise the underwriter and optimize the Program’s reserve fund utilization performance. In 2020, the reserve fund recorded realized gains of NT$8.541 billion; including NT$48.336 billion in revenue from unrealized gains or losses, the Program’s annual yield of 15.26% was the highest among the six major government funds.
IV. Protection and Training Affairs
1. Promoted civil servants’right to seek legal remedies by expanding the scope of judicial remedies for protection cases
Based on the sum and substance of Judicial Yuan Interpretation No. 785 regarding protection of civil servants’ right to institute legal proceedings, conducted a comprehensive review of the remedial procedures applied to protection cases, reclassifying a personnel administrative act that involves civil servants’ rights as an administrative disposition rather than an administrative measure. In the future, a civil servant that is dissatisfied with a remedy provided by review procedures may reinitiate administrative litigation.
2. Introduced courses and developed a series of teaching materials to implement national policies
Beginning in November of 2020, incorporated bilingual training courses into all statutory trainings. Also researched and compiled the first Practical English for Civil Servants teaching materials and digital courses to strengthen English-language ability among civil servants. Beginning in 2021, rank promotion trainings have offered digital governance courses covering topics in development, administration, service, democracy, and social issues to upgrade digital literacy and provide more effective service.
Also developed gender mainstreaming courses for all statutory trainings. In 2021, began to research and compile classic case studies that investigate topical gender equity issues to enhance trainees’ gender equity awareness.
3. Cultivated a civil service elite through courses to develop globally mobile personnel and short-term residencies in the Six Core Strategic Industries
To develop high-level governance talent for government service, training plans for high-level civil servants began to include short-term residencies in the Six Core Strategic Industries in 2021, with leaders in the relevant enterprises acting as instructors. This training program was awarded a gold medal as part of the HCM Excellence Awards Program organized by the Brandon Hall Group.
A series of courses to develop globally mobile personnel was also added. These courses, in conjunction with the UK and Finland, use online co-learning to draw on policy experiences from abroad to enhance global perspectives.
4.Cooperated with the Control Yuan for the first time on human rights lesson plans to strengthen training materials
To increase civil servant awareness of human rights issues, cooperated with the Control Yuan’s National Human Rights Commission to compile a human rights education series, and added human rights topics to all statutory topical training seminars to remind civil servants to be aware of their mission to protect human rights when lawfully exercising government authority.
5. Created first online evaluations for virtual classrooms, and completed statutory trainings during the COVID-19 outbreak alert period.
When the domestic epidemic alert was raised to Level 3, the national civil service training program released digital courses, including, for the first time, virtual classrooms with performance evaluations for special topic seminars, completing many basic training sessions for successful examination candidates. Promotion trainings can also be accessed through livestreamed broadcasts with real-time interaction and group discussions.
V. Public Service Pension Fund Affairs
1. Outstanding pension fund utilization and performance
Strengthened internal control mechanisms by amending the code of conduct for investment personnel to improve authorization and contact tracing mechanisms between fund management personnel and outsourced fund management institutions; amended domestic stock and fund investment operations regulations; and improved investment strategies and trading processes.
In 2020, the Public Service Pension Fund’s realized earnings were NT$13.656 billion; including unrealized gains or losses, earnings were NT$49.948 billion, yielding an outstanding annual return of 8.46%.
2. Pension reforms reduced expenditures, with all savings injected back into the fund, helping maintain sustainable operations
In 2020, reductions in pension expenditures by government at all levels saved NT$32.17 billion while the national armed forces’ cooperation with the government’s streamlining policy generated another NT$10 billion, all of which was incorporated in the budget and injected into the Public Service Pension Fund, helping to sustain Fund operations.