"Improvement Needed in Vacation and Working Conditions for Private Kindergarten Teachers in Gwangju"

Citizen Group for a Society Without Academic Elitism, Lack of Support Measures Such as Parental Leave

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Cho Hyung-joo] An educational civic group in the Gwangju area claimed on the 14th through a press release that "the working conditions of private kindergarten teachers in the Gwangju area need to be improved."

The Citizens' Group for a Society Without Academic Background stated, "In March, the Ministry of Education announced follow-up measures to strengthen the public nature of kindergartens, including support measures for private kindergarten teachers.

Specifically, from March this year, private kindergarten teachers taking parental leave will be supported with parental leave allowances at the level received by public kindergarten teachers," they said.

The civic group added, "The Gwangju Metropolitan Office of Education has guided private kindergartens on how to apply for leave and parental leave and the method of salary payment, but among teachers, there are complaints that this is a desk-bound administration far from reality," adding, "This is because the kindergarten principal, who holds personnel authority, may refuse teachers' parental leave or impose disadvantages when granting it."

They continued, "Although private kindergarten teachers follow the national public official service regulations, they sign direct labor contracts with the corporation or principal," and "However, since most contracts are renewed annually, the majority of private kindergarten teachers cannot even consider taking maternity or parental leave to maintain their unstable status," they mentioned.

The civic group explained, "For example, the Gwangju Metropolitan Office of Education has subsidized personnel expenses for fixed-term teachers when private kindergarten teachers take maternity leave, but it was confirmed that only about 7 to 9 teachers per year (2020?2021) used this. For next year, it was surveyed that 12 teachers will take maternity leave and 9 teachers will take parental leave (11 kindergartens out of 147 in total) will be on leave."

They added, "The low use of maternity and parental leave in private kindergartens is because teachers have no choice but to quit in the form of recommended resignation before taking leave," and "Ultimately, in a structure where private kindergarten teachers cannot build long-term careers, it is inevitable that the public nature of early childhood education cannot be guaranteed," they emphasized.

Furthermore, they said, "Compared to public kindergartens, private kindergarten teachers are responsible for more children and have longer working hours, and it is known that a considerable number of teachers intend to resign or change jobs," emphasizing, "Even now, appropriate treatment should be provided to prevent career breaks in private kindergartens and to ensure that children receive quality education."

The civic group urged the Gwangju Metropolitan Office of Education to ensure that support measures such as parental leave for private kindergarten teachers are firmly established by ▲providing education for private kindergarten principals and teachers ▲investigating and improving the working conditions of private kindergarten teachers.

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