Jeonnam Provincial Office of Education Announces First Results of 'Student Human Rights Survey'

Over 3,000 Students, Parents, and Teachers Participate: "Students Educated on Human Rights Respect Others More"

The Jeonnam Provincial Office of Education announced the results of the '2020 Jeonnam Student Human Rights Survey.' Photo by Jeonnam Provincial Office of Education

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Jun-kyung] A study found that students who received human rights education at school showed greater respect for others, and a culture that respects students' opinions and autonomy positively influenced their satisfaction with school life.

According to the results of the '2020 Jeonnam Student Human Rights Survey' announced by the Jeonnam Provincial Office of Education on the 28th, students who completed human rights education were analyzed to have a higher degree of respect for others at school. In Jeonnam Province, 77.6% of elementary students, 76.8% of middle school students, and 74.7% of high school students completed student human rights education, and students who responded that they received human rights education showed a higher level of respect for others compared to those who did not.

The '2020 Jeonnam Student Human Rights Survey' was conducted for the first time to check the current status of student human rights in Jeonnam and to explore directions for the development of student human rights policies.

When asked, "Which area of student human rights has been most violated due to the COVID-19 situation?" the most common answer among elementary, middle, and high school students was "No difference from before COVID-19." In particular, 14.4% of elementary students answered that leisure and cultural activities were being infringed upon, while 27.4% of middle school students and 32.3% of high school students pointed to violations of the right to learn.

Among parents and teachers, the proportion who responded that "the right to learn and leisure and cultural activities were infringed" was relatively high. 31.1% of elementary school guardians responded that the right to learn was infringed, and 25.4% said leisure and cultural activities were infringed. Among guardians of middle and high school students, 27.7% said leisure and cultural activities were infringed, and 27% said the right to learn was infringed. Additionally, 31.5% of elementary school teachers and 21.6% of middle and high school teachers responded that the right to learn was infringed.

Along with this, students' awareness of domestic and international norms, excluding the 'Constitution,' was found to be relatively low. More than 80% of elementary, middle, and high school students either did not know or only knew the names of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, the Framework Act on Education, and the National Human Rights Commission Act. However, regarding the 'Constitution,' 66.1% of elementary students, 46.6% of middle school students, and 46% of high school students answered that they knew it, confirming that awareness of the 'Constitution,' which is included in the curriculum, was relatively high.

There were also differences in perception among students, parents, and teachers, such as regarding the 'appropriate guidance methods by teachers.' Regarding 'appropriate guidance methods by teachers,' 31.1% of elementary students, 59.9% of middle school students, and 48% of high school students responded that 'discipline according to school rules' was an appropriate guidance method. In contrast, 61.1% of elementary school guardians, 48% of middle and high school guardians, 63% of elementary school teachers, and 64% of middle and high school teachers chose 'guidance linked with the home' as the top priority.

Lee Byung-sam, Director of Democratic Citizenship Life Education, said, "This survey is the first student human rights survey in Jeonnam and is significant as data for establishing mid- to long-term student human rights policies. We will analyze the research content to address problems and promote policies to create a human rights-friendly school culture."

Meanwhile, this survey was conducted by combining an online questionnaire and online focus group interviews for an in-depth analysis of student human rights. The online questionnaire involved about 3,000 participants, including approximately 1,800 students from 128 elementary, middle, and high schools in Jeonnam selected through wireless sampling considering the region, about 850 parents, and about 300 teachers.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.