'Teacher Consultation Reservation System'... Will It Effectively Protect Educators?

JeonGyoJo "Positive" vs Elementary Teachers' Union "Insufficient"
Jo Hee-yeon Urges Legal Revision to Grant Immunity in Child Abuse Cases

The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education has unveiled measures to protect teachers' educational activities, such as a teacher consultation reservation system and a waiting room for complainants, but mixed reactions are emerging among educators. While it can buy time to respond to parents' complaints immediately, there are criticisms that it is insufficient to fundamentally block malicious and persistent complaints.

According to the priority implementation plan to strengthen the 'protection of teachers' educational activities' announced by the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education on the 2nd, a 'teacher consultation reservation system' will be pilot introduced from September to respond to malicious and frequent complaints. Parents who wish to have a consultation or phone call with a teacher must make a reservation.

At this time, they must use the Seoul School Safety application (app) instead of the teacher's personal mobile phone, and general complaints will be handled using a chatbot. In addition, to strengthen school access control, a waiting room for complainants will be installed at each school, and closed-circuit television (CCTV) will be installed there.

On the 29th of last month, teachers held a moment of silence in memory of the late homeroom teacher of Seoi Elementary School during a rally for the normalization of public education near the Gyeongbokgung Station intersection in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

Regarding these measures, Kim Han-min, Policy Director of the Seoul branch of the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union (KTU), said on the 3rd on YTN Radio's 'News King with Park Ji-hoon,' "There are guardians who come to schools recklessly and cause disturbances, so (teachers) can protect their safety and secure time," adding, "From the perspective of being able to buy time, it is positive."

He also commented on the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education's plan to create waiting rooms for complainants at schools and install CCTV there, saying, "Suddenly, during class, (parents) open the classroom door and shout, and although exceptional, there are cases of assault," and "I think it is meaningful in terms of preventing such problems."

However, there are also criticisms that these are not fundamental improvements. It is difficult to preemptively block contact with malicious complainant parents.

Yoon Mi-sook, spokesperson for the National Elementary Teachers' Union, said on the 2nd on CBS Radio's 'Park Jae-hong's One-on-One Match,' "There are shortcomings in meeting teachers' demands," adding, "In responding to complaints, the responsibility that teachers have borne individually so far should be shared by strengthening the accountability of school principals, but I think this aspect is somewhat overlooked."

Regarding the 'chatbot' complaints, she said, "It is hard to say prematurely how much the chatbot will perform," but also pointed out, "If too many new apps and such proliferate, it can be difficult to adapt to them."

Cho Hee-yeon, Superintendent of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, is announcing the priority measures to strengthen the 'Protection of Teachers' Educational Activities' on the 2nd at the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

She also pointed out that installing CCTV in the complainants' waiting rooms only serves as evidence after incidents occur and is difficult to prevent them. Spokesperson Yoon said, "What teachers want is a way to preemptively block malicious complaints, but recording devices or CCTV are used after the issue has occurred," adding, "I think it is more important to supplement institutional measures that prevent complaints from being made, such as parent education."

Regarding the criticism of effectiveness, Cho Hee-yeon, Superintendent of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, said on the 3rd on CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show,' "When malicious complaints occur, we are creating a strict process and procedural system to handle them, and this is a pilot project," adding, "Since CCTV can infringe on human rights, through the pilot we will consider human rights aspects and whether consent is required."

Superintendent Cho also emphasized that amending the Child Abuse Punishment Act to grant teachers immunity from child abuse liability is important in resolving malicious issues. He said, "The most important thing now is to add an exemption clause to the Child Abuse Punishment Act," adding, "If such a law is enacted, malicious complaints will decrease significantly, and sanctions can be imposed when malicious complaints are made."

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