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Korea Herald
14-05-2025
- Korea Herald
Korea does not respect teachers, 60% of them say in a survey
Only one-third of teachers satifisfied with their jobs; over half thought about quitting within a year One-third of the teachers in Korea are satisfied with their jobs while over half of them think their profession is not respected by South Korean society, a survey conducted by the federation of teachers' associations nationwide showed Wednesday. The Korean Federation of Teachers' Associations conducted the survey on 8,254 teachers -- from kindergarten to university-level educators -- across the country in commemoration of the annual Teachers' Day on Thursday, which showed 32.7 percent of the respondents were satisfied with being a teacher while another 32.3 percent said they are discontent. The rest said they were neither satisfied or dissatisfied with being a teacher. When asked if Korean society respects teachers, 64.9 percent said it does not while only 8.9 percent said it does. The respondents were asked to give a score on how much they are satisfied with being a teacher, to which they gave an average score of 2.9 out of 5. Due to generally low job satisfaction as a teacher, 58 percent of the respondents said they considered quitting or getting another job in the past year. "Excessive petition and infringement of teachers' rights" was picked by 77.5 percent of the respondents, followed by low wage (57.6 percent)" and "excessive workload (27.2 percent)." Concerns over teachers' rights violations Some 56.7 percent of the respondents said their students had violated their rights, while 56 percent said parents of students did it. It was found that 23.3 percent of the respondents received therapy or psychiatric treatment, due to their rights being violated. There have been rising concern over teachers' rights being violated by students and teachers, particularly in the wake of the 2023 suicide death of an elementary school teacher in Seoul. It was thought that the victim suffered from what was alleged to be harassment by some of the parents, although no criminal charges were pressed in relation to this claim. The KFTA conducted the same survey in October 2023, three months after the incident, which showed that 68.4 percent of the respondents were not satisfied with their jobs while only 13.2 percent were. It also showed that 87 percent of the respondents considered quitting or getting a new job within the past year. While not as significant as two years ago, studies indicate substantial infringement of teachers' rights persist. Another KFTA survey conducted earlier this month showed that 67.7 percent of the teachers had students curse at them, while another 22.9 percent said they were actually assaulted by the students. Last month, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education launched an investigation into a claim that a high school senior assaulted a teacher on the face, after the teachers told him not to use his phone in class. It was reported on Tuesday that the student is to be transferred to another school and subject to mandated therapy, while the victim and other teachers in the school will also receive therapy treatment.
Korea Herald
17-04-2025
- Politics
- Korea Herald
Field trips vanish from Korean schools as teachers fear legal risks
Two national surveys show only half of Korean teachers still planning school field trips this year Field trips are fast disappearing from South Korean schools — not because students don't want to go, but because their teachers are increasingly afraid to take them. A tragic accident in 2022, where an elementary school student was fatally struck by a reversing bus during a school outing in Sokcho, Gangwon Province, triggered a national reckoning. In February this year, a local court found the supervising teacher guilty of death by occupational negligence, sentencing them to six months in prison, suspended for two years. The court ruled the teacher had failed in the duty to ensure student safety. The decision sent shock waves through Korea's education system, leaving many teachers questioning whether they can continue leading off-campus activities without risking criminal charges. In a recent survey conducted in March by the Korean Federation of Teachers' Associations, which gathered responses from over 6,100 teachers nationwide, one elementary school teacher aptly expressed the dilemma: 'Just crossing a crosswalk with students means I have to monitor the signal, the cars and every child at once. If I miss one thing, I could go to jail. That's not fair.' A separate policy survey from the office of Democratic Party of Korea Rep. Bak Seung-ah, herself a former school teacher, conducted between March 10 and April 6, gathered responses from 6,309 school personnel across the country. It confirmed the extent of the anxiety. Over 90 percent said the risk of safety incidents during field trips is rising. 65.6 percent reported having personally experienced a safety-related incident. Only 45.7 percent of teachers said they planned to conduct field trips this year. The remainder were either postponing trips (21.1 percent), undecided (15.4 percent) or canceling them entirely (14.5 percent), with 3.3 percent selecting "other" or not responding. Results from the KFTA's March survey mirrored this trend. Just 51.7 percent of respondents — teachers from kindergarten through high school — said they were proceeding with field trips as planned. The rest reported either shortening travel distances (15.2 percent), deferring or canceling trips (21.8 percent) or still being undecided (11.3 percent). To address the crisis, a revision to the School Safety Act goes into effect on June 21. The amended law exempts teachers and school staff from civil or criminal liability if an accident occurs during a school activity — if they have fulfilled 'preventive and safety obligations.' The KFTA has warned that the key phrase is too vaguely defined to offer meaningful protection. The organization also points to the government's Field Trip Safety Manual, issued by the Ministry of Education, which outlines up to 90 separate checklist items for each outing, covering everything from traffic conditions to meal safety. Teachers argue the guidelines are unrealistic and place too much responsibility on individual staff members. The concerns aren't just legal, though. In Bak's survey, only 6.4 percent of teachers said they were satisfied with the ministry's efforts to reduce administrative workload. Teachers cited the need for more support in areas such as simplified reporting and increased staffing. Rep. Bak has pledged reform, promising legislation that reflects the realities teachers face. 'Our goal is to ensure students, parents and teachers can experience field learning without fear,' she said. mjh@
Korea Herald
17-04-2025
- Politics
- Korea Herald
Field trips vanish from Korean schools as teachers fear legal risks
Two national surveys show only half of Korean teachers still planning school field trips this year Field trips are fast disappearing from South Korean schools — not because students don't want to go, but because their teachers are increasingly afraid to take them. A tragic accident in 2022, where an elementary school student was fatally struck by a reversing bus during a school outing in Sokcho, Gangwon Province, triggered a national reckoning. In February this year, a local court found the supervising teacher guilty of death by occupational negligence, sentencing them to six months in prison, suspended for two years. The court ruled the teacher had failed in the duty to ensure student safety. The decision sent shock waves through Korea's education system, leaving many teachers questioning whether they can continue leading off-campus activities without risking criminal charges. In a recent survey conducted in March by the Korean Federation of Teachers' Associations, which gathered responses from over 6,100 teachers nationwide, one elementary school teacher aptly expressed the dilemma: 'Just crossing a crosswalk with students means I have to monitor the signal, the cars and every child at once. If I miss one thing, I could go to jail. That's not fair.' A separate policy survey from the office of Democratic Party of Korea Rep. Bak Seung-ah, herself a former school teacher, conducted between March 10 and April 6, gathered responses from 6,309 school personnel across the country. It confirmed the extent of the anxiety. Over 90 percent said the risk of safety incidents during field trips is rising. 65.6 percent reported having personally experienced a safety-related incident. Only 45.7 percent of teachers said they planned to conduct field trips this year. The remainder were either postponing trips (21.1 percent), undecided (15.4 percent) or canceling them entirely (14.5 percent), with 3.3 percent selecting "other" or not responding. Results from the KFTA's March survey mirrored this trend. Just 51.7 percent of respondents — teachers from kindergarten through high school — said they were proceeding with field trips as planned. The rest reported either shortening travel distances (15.2 percent), deferring or canceling trips (21.8 percent) or still being undecided (11.3 percent). To address the crisis, a revision to the School Safety Act goes into effect on June 21. The amended law exempts teachers and school staff from civil or criminal liability if an accident occurs during a school activity — if they have fulfilled 'preventive and safety obligations.' The KFTA has warned that the key phrase is too vaguely defined to offer meaningful protection. The organization also points to the government's Field Trip Safety Manual, issued by the Ministry of Education, which outlines up to 90 separate checklist items for each outing, covering everything from traffic conditions to meal safety. Teachers argue the guidelines are unrealistic and place too much responsibility on individual staff members. The concerns aren't just legal, though. In Bak's survey, only 6.4 percent of teachers said they were satisfied with the ministry's efforts to reduce administrative workload. Teachers cited the need for more support in areas such as simplified reporting and increased staffing. Rep. Bak has pledged reform, promising legislation that reflects the realities teachers face. 'Our goal is to ensure students, parents and teachers can experience field learning without fear,' she said.
