Announcement of Draft Measures to Protect Teachers' Rights in September... Expert Roundtable Meeting Held

Support for Teachers Affected by Disruption of Life Guidance and Educational Activities
Discussion on System Improvements for Educational Activity Support Frameworks

A teacher is conducting a remote class in a high school classroom. Photo unrelated to the article / Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] Following an incident where a student lay down on the podium during class, disrupting the lesson, the Ministry of Education is set to discuss measures to prevent infringements on teachers' authority.

On the 14th, the Ministry of Education announced that it will hold an expert meeting remotely to prepare measures to protect school educational activities. This meeting is organized to gather and discuss professional opinions from teacher organizations, labor unions, lawyers, and representatives from academia and research institutions.

According to the Ministry of Education, the number of cases involving interference with educational activities decreased from 2,662 in 2019 to 1,197 in 2020, when remote classes were implemented due to COVID-19, but increased again to 2,269 after in-person classes resumed.

The meeting will focus on recently proposed amendments to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and the Teacher Status Act related to student guidance and protection of educational activities. Discussions will cover institutional improvements such as student guidance, support for teachers affected by infringements on educational activities, support systems for educational activities, and ways to foster a culture of mutual respect within schools.

Participants emphasized the urgent need for countermeasures, noting that acts infringing on educational activities threaten not only teachers' authority but also the normal functioning of schools and the learning rights of all students. They agreed that ongoing discussions are necessary to restore trust in education.

The Ministry of Education plans to establish a draft plan to strengthen prevention and response to infringements on educational activities within this month, following various opinion-gathering processes such as meetings with responsible officials, expert discussions, and student and parent forums, as well as policy research. The final plan will be announced promptly after public hearings and other procedures.

Ko Young-jong, Director of School Innovation Policy at the Ministry of Education, stated, "As public interest in protecting school educational activities is higher than ever, we will thoroughly discuss and establish measures while spreading social consensus."

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