Latest news with #educationworkers
South China Morning Post
28-05-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
South Korean teacher kicked by third-grader highlights rise in classroom violence
A troubling incident in South Korea , where a third-grade student kicked a teacher after being corrected on a wrong answer, has sparked a debate about the increasing assaults on educators nationwide, highlighting growing concerns about teacher safety in schools. On Tuesday, authorities reported that a student in Gyeonggi province, who had a history of difficulty accepting mistakes, began yelling and kicking when informed that their answer was incorrect. In South Korea, students in the third grade are typically between eight and nine years old. Even after a substitute teacher replaced the original teacher, the student continued to disrupt the class and allegedly threatened the new teacher as well, The Korea Times newspaper reported. Following the incident on May 9, the school principal granted the teacher five days off and proposed a meeting with the parents, which the teacher rejected, viewing it as a coercive attempt to resolve the issue. The teacher also refused a written apology from both the student and their parents. This lack of separation and healing, combined with the expectation that teachers deal with complaints, amounts to secondary victimisation Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union statement The Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union criticised the principal's response as inadequate, accusing the school of failing to protect the teacher and instead pressuring them to meet the student's family.
National Post
26-05-2025
- Business
- National Post
OSBCU: Ford's Status Quo Education Budget Fails Students, Parents, and Workers
Article content TORONTO — The Ontario School Board Council of Unions (OSBCU), representing over 57,000 frontline education workers, is raising serious concerns following the provincial government's 2025 core education funding announcement, which continues to ignore the escalating crises in Ontario's public education system. Article content Article content Despite claims of increased funding, the funding announcement fails to deliver the investment needed to address chronic understaffing, systemic deficits, and rampant violence in classrooms across Ontario. Instead, the government's announcement simply maintains the status quo, masking deep structural issues with misleading figures. Article content Key budget highlights: Article content Total school board funding for 2025-2026 is projected at $30.3 billion — a 3.3 percent increase over last year. However, with enrolment up 0.6 percent and inflation rising, real per-pupil funding is only increasing by 0.3 percent — a minimal change that remains far below what students and schools need. Apparent increases in funding are predominately due to previously negotiated wage settlements. This funding does not add staff, expand services, or improve student supports. In the provincial budget released on May 15, the government projected meagre increases to total education funding of $100K (0.24%) in 2026-2027 and $200K (0.49%) in 2027-2028. Clearly this government's long-term plans are to continue to starve the education system of the resources students, parents, and workers need. Boards are still bracing for job cuts, as this budget is unlikely to change the trajectory of announced job reductions — exacerbating the staffing crisis and undermining already strained school operations. Article content 'There is a clear crisis in Ontario's public education system and the Ford government has turned their backs on education staff and students in their 2025 budget. There are no major policy changes, no new support for school boards in deficit, and nothing to address the real crisis in understaffing in public education,' says Joe Tigani, President of the OSBCU. 'This budget isn't just disappointing — it's dangerous.' Article content While the Ford government's budget on May 15 announced $30 billion over 10 years for new schools and childcare spaces, it offered no plan or funding for the education workers needed to staff them outside of teachers — a step that ignores the understaffing crisis facing thousands of overburdened frontline education staff across all job classifications. Article content 'Students deserve well-resourced schools and education workers deserve respect and fair working conditions,' says Tigani. 'That means providing immediate and substantial new funding to address staffing shortages across all education worker classifications, restoring real per-pupil funding to meet actual student and school needs, and implementing a funding strategy that reflects inflation and enrolment. The OSBCU will continue to fight until this government delivers the funding that public education in Ontario desperately needs.' Article content Article content Article content Article content Article content Contacts Article content Article content
