80% of Teachers Feel No Change Two Years After the Implementation of the Education Rights Five Laws

Two years have passed since the tragic incident involving a Seoi Elementary School teacher, and while the 'Education Rights Five Laws' were established to protect teachers, educators on the ground are still unable to perceive substantial changes.

According to a survey released on the 17th by the Korean Federation of Teachers' Associations, 79.3% (3,254 out of 4,104) of teachers and professionals across the nation—from kindergartens to high schools—reported that they do not feel any significant changes despite the implementation of the Education Rights Five Laws.

This percentage represents an increase of 5.9 percentage points from the negative response rate (73.4%) observed in a survey conducted last year on Teacher's Day. Despite the establishment of legal measures for the protection of educational rights, the sense of improvement among teachers has seemingly worsened.

The primary reason teachers feel no change is attributed to the 'insufficient amendments to related laws such as the Child Welfare Act, the Teacher Status Act, and the School Safety Act' (61.7%). Other significant reasons included 'anxiety over indiscriminate child abuse reports and lawsuits' (45.1%), 'insufficient awareness and action from students and parents' (41.4%), and 'ongoing complaints and difficulties in handling them' (40.5%).

Many Teachers Experience Violations of Educational Rights but Few Report Them… "Concerns About Counter-reports of Child Abuse"

According to the Teachers' Association’s survey, from March 1 to July 10 of this year, 48.3% of teachers experienced violations of their educational rights, but only 4.3% reported these incidents.

The primary reasons for reluctance to report include 'concerns over potential child abuse reports or complaints arising from the notification' (70.0%) and 'low expectations of effective remedies from regional education rights protection committees' (51.4%).

Despite gaining the authority to separate students who disrupt classes under the Education Rights Five Laws, only 24.4% of teachers executed this authority.

While 42.6% of educators felt that separation was necessary, they reported being unable to carry it out due to reasons such as 'fear of backlash and complaints from students and parents regarding child abuse reports' (67.7%) and 'lack of space, personnel, and programs for separation' (32.7%).

Regarding the introduction of a system for submitting opinions from the education superintendent upon reporting child abuse, which started in September 2023, 77.6% of educators assessed that it would not help prevent indiscriminate child abuse reports.

A staggering 87.9% of respondents believe that the current school complaint system is not effective in filtering out malicious complaints or protecting teachers.

Urgent Legal Improvements Needed for Protecting Educational Rights

Teachers identified several improvement measures for protecting educational rights, with 'clarifying the ambiguous and broad concept of emotional abuse by amending the Child Welfare Act' (56%) being the most frequently selected option. Following that, they suggested 'punishing those who make false child abuse reports' (54.8%) and 'recognizing false child abuse reports as acts that infringe on educational activities' (45.5%).

To improve malicious complaints, 91.1% of respondents argued that the complaints should be centralized through school main phone lines or online platforms, and that personal contact information of teachers should remain confidential.

They also proposed establishing 'integrated complaint response teams at the education office level and strengthening legal support' (27.5%) and 'deploying dedicated complaint response teams in schools' (22.5%) as additional measures.

In relation to field trips, 34.4% stated that teachers bear excessive responsibility, suggesting that such activities should be suspended, while 23.3% felt that all activities should be halted until safety measures are in place.

An overwhelming 98.9% agreed on the need to amend the Teacher Status Act to address issues where teachers suffering from violations of educational rights avoid the students who harmed them.

The Teachers' Association characterized the results of this survey as a "devastating report card on the decline of educational rights." In 2004, 'excessive workload' was the primary source of teacher stress, but by 2024, it had shifted to 'conflicts with students and parents.'

The source of teachers' feelings of helplessness has also shifted from 'the devaluation of education' to 'the non-cooperative attitudes and distrust of students and parents.'

Kang Ju-ho, the President of the Teachers' Association, stated, "It has been two years since the tragedy involving the Seoi Elementary School teacher, but classrooms have become more dangerous and the tears of teachers have not dried. The government and the National Assembly must accurately recognize the realities of the teaching profession reflected in this survey and promptly amend related laws such as the Child Welfare Act, the Teacher Status Act, the Child Abuse Punishment Act, and the School Safety Act while preparing support measures for the field.”

Image sources: On the 4th, coinciding with the 49th day of mourning for the late Seoi Elementary School teacher and the 'School Public Education Stoppage Day,' a memorial bouquet was placed in the classroom where the deceased worked. (Joint Coverage) 2023.9.4/News1, Reference photo for understanding the article / gettyimagesbank, On the 15th, ahead of the 1st anniversary of the Seoi Elementary School teacher's passing (18th), employees from the education office visited the memorial space set up in Jongno, Seoul, to pay their respects. The memorial space at the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education will be open to anyone wishing to pay tribute and mourn until 18:00 on the 20th, with a memorial service to take place on the 18th at the auditorium of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, co-hosted by the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, six teachers' organizations, and the Teachers' Bereaved Family Council. 2024.7.15/News1