'Four Laws to Restore Teacher Authority' Passed by Education Committee... "Must Be Processed in the Plenary Session on the 21st"

Held a plenary session on the 15th and processed alternatives for 4 bills
Opposition: "Issues with the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Communications' attitude during the process"

The four laws for restoring teachers' authority to ensure the rightful educational activities of teachers passed the National Assembly's Education Committee on the 15th. The ruling and opposition parties emphasized the agreed processing of the bills, and they are expected to be handled at the plenary session of the National Assembly on the 21st of this month.

The National Assembly Education Committee held a plenary meeting on the 15th and processed the amendments to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, Early Childhood Education Act, Teachers' Status Act, and Framework Act on Education as committee alternatives containing these provisions.

These bills include provisions that do not regard teachers' rightful educational activities as child abuse and prohibit suspension from duty without just cause when a teacher is reported for child abuse.

On the 15th, at the Education Committee plenary meeting held in the National Assembly, Chairman Kim Cheol-min is striking the gavel. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

Additionally, so-called malicious complaints with unjust purposes are included as acts infringing on educational activities, and acts such as obstruction of official duties, false accusation, and obstruction of business are also added to acts infringing on educational activities. The responsibility for handling complaints is assigned to the school principal, and measures are included to allow the burden of costs related to teachers' rights infringement damages to be entrusted to the School Safety Mutual Aid Association or private insurance companies.

However, parts that failed to reach consensus between the ruling and opposition parties did not pass this time. The proposal to record students who seriously infringe on educational activities in their school records was opposed by the opposition party due to concerns about excessive litigation. The proposal to establish a child abuse case judgment unit to seek opinions on the suspension of teachers reported for child abuse did not pass due to opposition from the ruling party, which argued it would be ineffective.

Kim Cheol-min, chair of the Education Committee from the Democratic Party, said after the bill was passed, "The bills we approved today will not solve educational activity infringements all at once," but added, "Nevertheless, I believe they will contribute to creating schools where students and parents respect teachers, and teachers can treat students with trust and affection."

Both ruling and opposition parties emphasized that the bills passed after five subcommittee meetings with bipartisan agreement and promised to process them at the plenary session on the 21st. Democratic Party member of the Welfare Committee, Kim Young-ho, said, "The ruling and opposition parties are in an extreme confrontation phase. Even in this situation, I sincerely appreciate that we listened only to the teachers' demands to restore the broken teachers' authority and processed the bills through dialogue and compromise," emphasizing, "The Teachers' Rights Protection Act will definitely be approved at the plenary session on September 21."

Lee Tae-gyu, the whip from the People Power Party, said, "Although there were some debates between the ruling and opposition parties regarding protecting teachers' rights, I believe we worked together with one heart," he said.

Opposition: "It's fortunate the bill passed... Ministry of Education and Presidential Office's attitude is problematic"

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Lee Ju-ho is speaking at the full meeting of the Education Committee held at the National Assembly on the 15th. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

Meanwhile, Democratic Party lawmakers criticized the attitudes of the Ministry of Education and the Presidential Office during the process of urging the National Assembly to pass the four laws protecting teachers' rights. Chair Kim said at the start of the meeting, addressing Education Minister Lee Ju-ho, "The Education Committee is not a subordinate organization of the Ministry of Education, and we are not an institution that approves bills under the Ministry's instructions," adding, "It was regrettable that the Ministry of Education Minister's urging made it look like we were not doing it, which seemed to belittle the members of both parties."

Democratic Party lawmaker Yoo Ki-hong also criticized, "The subcommittee members are discussing several times due to disputes between the ruling and opposition parties, but the Education Minister's public statement to quickly process the bills as if he were a third party is a media play considering only the government's position." He continued, "During the nearly one year I served as the chair of the Education Committee since the launch of the Yoon Seok-yeol administration, I have never had a meeting with the standing committee chair," and criticized, "Neither the Presidential Office's policy chief, the directly responsible social secretary, nor the education secretary has ever discussed current issues. This is truly unacceptable."

People Power Party lawmaker Cho Kyung-tae briefly agreed with the opposition's criticism. He said, "If necessary, the Presidential Office should communicate, and this should be taken very seriously."

Minister Lee responded to Chair Kim's remarks, saying, "If there was any misunderstanding, I sincerely apologize for that part," and added, "We will respect the National Assembly and its efforts for cooperation and do our best to serve accordingly."

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