Gyeonggi Office of Education Prepares Comprehensive Measures for Student Separate Education and Malicious Civil Complaints Response

Gyeonggi Provincial Superintendent of Education Lim Tae-hee is holding a press conference on the 16th regarding comprehensive measures to protect educational activities.

The Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education will start using an artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot to handle simple inquiries such as academic schedules as early as next year. Additionally, students who disrupt educational activities will be subject to separated education outside the classroom. Furthermore, if teachers become involved in lawsuits during educational activities, they will receive support through dedicated lawyers.

On the 16th, the Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education announced a comprehensive plan to strengthen respect for teachers' authority and protect educational activities.

According to the comprehensive plan, the parent consultation system will be divided into three stages: AI chatbot, written consultation, and phone/visit consultation. The chatbot is an interactive messenger service that allows users to receive information and services in real time without going through a counselor, regardless of time and place. Simple inquiries will be handled 24/7 by the AI chatbot, which is scheduled to be developed in the second half of this year. If additional consultation is needed, written consultation will be conducted. More detailed consultations will be carried out via phone or in-person visits. In these cases, calls or conversations may be recorded.

Also, teachers’ personal mobile phone numbers will be strictly kept confidential, and counseling rooms equipped with recording and filming facilities, as well as recording phones, will be installed at school sites.

Moreover, separated education to protect students' right to learn will be implemented in stages.

First, a "Time Out system" will be introduced, where teachers separate students who disrupt educational activities within the classroom for a set period. If separation is still necessary afterward, separated education will take place in a location outside the classroom designated by the school principal. If the situation worsens further, separated education will be conducted outside the school, such as through home study or external institution linkage. This decision will be made by the school principal.

The staged separated education will be piloted in elementary schools during the second semester of this year, and based on satisfaction and areas for improvement, the decision to expand it next year will be made.

Furthermore, the Office of Education plans to support teachers involved in lawsuits during educational activities through dedicated lawyers. To this end, a supplementary budget of 600 million won has been allocated to establish a pool of local lawyers. The scope of support under the teacher liability insurance will also be expanded to include advance payment of lawyer fees, consolation money for violence victims, and security services.

Before lawsuits, when parents report teachers for child abuse or other reasons, the customary practice of suspending teachers from their positions will now be handled more cautiously by school principals, who will comprehensively assess the situation.

The Office of Education also plans to revise the existing teacher authority ordinance by adding responsibilities, establishing separated education for students, responding to malicious complaints, and supplementing counseling duties.

In addition, to protect legitimate educational activities, the Office will request the government and National Assembly to amend related laws such as the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes, and the Teacher Status Act. These amendments include granting immunity from child abuse charges for legitimate disciplinary guidance, imposing heavier penalties for assault or injury against teachers, and adding obstruction of official duties and false accusations to types of educational activity interference.

Lim Tae-hee, Superintendent of Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education, said, "Having encountered various issues related to the infringement of educational activities recently, I feel both regret and responsibility as an education superintendent," and added, "We will ensure that the comprehensive plan to protect educational activities is implemented in the field as soon as possible."

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