Teacher Verification Rejected Due to OCR Failure on Chinese Contract

[minhsuan0]

🏷️ Discussion Type

Question

💬 Feature/Topic Area

Verification Help & Guidance

Hi everyone,

Hi GitHub Education Community,

I am trying to apply for GitHub Education Teacher benefits with my school .edu.tw email.

• Profile & Billing Name: Fully matched to legal name in Chinese characters.
• Issue: The automated system repeatedly rejects my application, stating that my first/last name does not match the document.
• Root Cause: My employment document (contract) is in Chinese with standard printed text and handwritten signatures. The automated OCR appears unable to parse the Chinese layout and name fields correctly.

Since I have already ensured my Profile Name, Billing Name, and log-in session are fully synced, what is the recommended way to get verified when the system fails to read non-English contracts?

Thank you for any advice!

[Dani-8]

@minhsuan0 This is a known issue with GitHub Education's automated OCR parser when processing non-Latin scripts (like Traditional Chinese) and handwritten text on employment contracts.

Because contracts often contain long blocks of legal text and handwritten signatures, the background parser fails to isolate your printed legal name block, resulting in the generic "name mismatch" automated rejection.

Here is how to structure your submission to pass automated verification for Teacher benefits:

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1. Match Name String Encoding (Traditional Chinese vs. Latin)

• Public Profile Name: In Settings → Public Profile, ensure your Name field contains your Chinese legal name exactly as printed on the contract (e.g., 張明軒).
• Billing Name Alignment: In Settings → Billing → Payment Information, set your First Name and Last Name to match the character order.
• Add Pinyin / English Equivalent: If your school ID or contract has your name written in Latin/Pinyin alongside Chinese, enter the Latin version in your Billing fields while keeping your Public Profile Name in Chinese characters.

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2. Use a Faculty/Teacher ID Card or Certificate Instead of a Contract

Handwritten signatures and long multi-page contracts are major failure triggers for OCR engines.

• Preferred Document: Use an official Faculty/Teacher ID Card (教師證 / 職員證) or an In-Service Certificate (在職證明書) on official university letterhead.
• Why it Works: Single-page certificates and ID cards have clear, structured key-value pairs (e.g., 姓名: xxx, 職稱: xxx, 日期: YYYY/MM/DD), which Chinese OCR engines can extract much more reliably than unstructured contract blocks.

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3. Capture & Submission Rules

1. Take a Live Photo: Do not upload a PDF scan or digital screenshot. Place the paper certificate or physical ID card flat under clear lighting and take a live photo using your camera, ensuring all 4 physical corners are visible.
2. Device Location: Make sure you submit the application while connected to your school network or with device location/GPS enabled so your location matches your .edu.tw institution.
3. Save & Re-log: Save your profile changes, log out of GitHub, log back in, and resubmit the live photo.

Switching from a handwritten contract to a clean, structured Faculty/In-Service Certificate will allow the OCR parser to read your Chinese legal name and approve your teacher benefits.