TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan is already facing down the third make-up work and school day of the year, set for Feb. 18, amid growing opposition to the system, including from a prominent Taiwanese childcare expert.

Wang Hung Che (王宏哲) is the author of over 20 parental advice and children’s books, and took to Facebook on Monday (Feb. 14) to say that the make-up days were bad for kids' learning and family dynamics. “Make-up classes will only make children’s learning worse,” he said.

Wang said that the make-up classes deprive children of the chance to do physical activities, and make them more distracted the following week. “Rest and activities on the weekends stimulate kids’ memory and concentration, which improves learning,” he said.

Joint U.K.-Canadian research from 2023 supports this, finding that students who are generally satisfied with their choices in learning and their ability to rest do better overall than those who aren’t.

Wang also said that the make-up days allow parents to bond with their children, something that is already a challenge given many Taiwanese people's busy schedules. “Both kids and adults build up stress during the week, and you really need to take two days off to reset,” he said.

The impending make-up work and class day is to bridge the gap between Feb. 26 (a Sunday) and Feb.28, a national public holiday held to mark the 228 Peace Memorial Day. There are six make-up work and class days throughout 2023, with two of them falling in February.