Teacher's Authority Violated Due to Student Rights Ordinance? ... Teachers' Perspectives

"Schools Are Horizontal, but Families Are Vertical"
"Students and Parents' Cultural Maladaptation... Shifting Responsibility to Schools"

Regarding the death of a teacher at Seo-i Elementary School in Seocho-gu, Seoul, the government has announced plans to revise the Student Human Rights Ordinance, but opinions are divided on whether this is a solution to the issue of teacher authority infringement.

The revision of the Student Human Rights Ordinance is based on the judgment that while student rights have been excessively emphasized, teacher authority has been diminished in contrast. In response, voices from the education field have stated, "While maintaining a policy that values student rights, teachers should be granted legitimate authority."

The Student Human Rights Ordinance refers to ordinances enacted by each metropolitan and provincial office of education to ensure that student rights are protected within the school curriculum. It was first enacted by the Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education in 2010 and has since been enacted and implemented in six regions, including Seoul.

The ordinance includes provisions guaranteeing rights such as freedom from discrimination based on gender, religion, disability, or sexual orientation; freedom of expression; freedom of conscience and religion; and freedom from corporal punishment and violence.

On the 21st, a citizen is offering flowers at the memorial altar for homeroom teacher A from Seo-i Elementary School, who died by suicide, at the Gangnam Seocho Office of Education in Seoul. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

On the 21st, Lee Ju-ho, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education, stated at a 'Field Meeting for the Establishment of Teacher Authority' held at the Korea Federation of Teachers' Associations, "The classroom environment is collapsing as student rights are excessively prioritized," emphasizing the need to revise the Student Human Rights Ordinance.

He pointed out, "Because of the anti-discrimination provisions in the Student Human Rights Ordinance, legitimate praise and encouragement are perceived as discrimination against other students, making diverse classes difficult. Excessive claims to privacy freedom hinder proactive behavioral guidance and lead to teacher assaults."

He added, "We will boldly improve systems and practices that hinder teachers from doing their best to guide students", "in consultation with metropolitan and provincial superintendents, we will revise the Student Human Rights Ordinance and address the issues raised." On the 26th, the People Power Party and the government announced plans to prepare institutional improvements for restoring teacher authority, including revising the Student Human Rights Ordinance.

However, voices from the education field said, "Revising only the Student Human Rights Ordinance will have no practical effect." They pointed out that the issue should not be approached as a conflict between student rights and teacher rights.

Kim Hee-seong, deputy spokesperson of the Seoul Teachers' Union (currently an elementary school teacher), said in an interview on SBS Radio's 'Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show' on the 24th, "Many teachers fear that statements placing student rights and teacher rights at opposite ends will cause further conflicts," adding, "The fundamental problem is viewing one side growing means the other must shrink, which is a chronic issue in this situation."

He emphasized, "The core issue of teacher authority infringement lies in the fact that while student rights are emphasized, teachers' authority has been tied up. We need to maintain a policy that values student rights while granting teachers legitimate authority."

In the education field, although student rights are being strengthened, there are also criticisms that the unbalanced environment at home, which is not the same, leads to problems of teacher authority infringement.

Cheon Kyung-ho, president of the Practical Education Teachers' Association (currently an elementary school teacher), said in an interview with YTN Radio, "In 2011, the revision of the Enforcement Decree of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act banned direct corporal punishment in schools. Since then, the relationship between teachers and students has continued to evolve into a horizontal relationship," adding, "However, even though parental disciplinary rights were removed from the Civil Act in 2021, the vertical hierarchical relationship between parents and children still remains."

Regarding the issue of teacher authority infringement, he diagnosed, "The problem arises because children who have learned to control others by force at home and parents accustomed to hierarchical order are maladapted to democratic school culture," and "It is the result of parents shifting the responsibility for the lack of child rights protection at home onto schools."

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