On the first day of the new semester, the Ministry of Education has launched an anti-bullying campaign throughout the nation's elementary and junior high schools, by setting examples out of severe bullying cases that occurred at the Taoyuan's Bade Junior High School few months ago. However, MOE's move has sparked different reactions, with some considering it as an ostentatious gesture rather than a practical one.

At 8 a.m., anti-bullying chants resounded on the campuses of elementary and junior high schools around the island.

Nearly 300 New Taipei City schools vowed to fight bullying and held special sessions to teach students how to respond when being bullied.

The Ministry of Education launched a national anti-bullying campaign on campuses on the first day of the spring semester, and had highlighted Taoyuan's Bade Junior High School in its campaign.

However, the program was scrapped after the Taoyuan County Education Bureau refused to cooperate with the MOE.

In response to criticism that the MOE is merely putting on a show, Deputy Minister Lin Tsong-ming said that the MOE would be hiring at least 568 psychologists and social workers in the next two years to oversee municipal anti-bullying programs.