Jeon-gyo-jo "President as a one-day instructor at Neulbom School? ... Not a solution to the instructor supply issue"

"89.3% of Vice Principals, Temporary Teachers, and Regular Teachers Perform Administrative Tasks"

Lee Gi-baek, spokesperson for the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union, expressed concerns that teachers are facing difficulties at schools due to increased administrative tasks following the implementation of Neulbom School in 2,741 elementary schools nationwide. The consensus on the ground is that the implementation of Neulbom School was rushed excessively.

On the 12th, appearing on MBC Radio's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus,' Lee stated that a rapid survey conducted from March 4 to 11 showed that "89.3% of vice principals, contract teachers, and regular teachers are responsible for administrative tasks."

President Yoon Suk-yeol is taking a commemorative photo with students participating in the Neulbom School broadcast dance program before the start of the "Public Livelihood Discussion with the People - Ninth Session, Neulbom School with Warm Care and Education" held at Shinwoo Elementary School in Hanam-si, Gyeonggi-do on February 5. Photo by the Office of the President

Lee explained, "Usually, after-school instructors are hired separately or programs are established, which require administrative work. Until now, teachers have been handling these tasks, and it seems that teachers still bear the largest share this semester." Although teachers are already burdened with many administrative duties, the implementation of Neulbom School has added related administrative tasks, increasing their workload. Initially, the government announced plans to alleviate teachers' workload by establishing Neulbom Support Offices at each school, but Neulbom Support Office staff to handle administrative tasks are scheduled to be assigned starting from the second semester.

Lee criticized, "So far, the Ministry of Education's measures to reduce teachers' workload to improve the quality of public education have ultimately been empty promises."

The increase in complaints related to Neulbom School is also problematic. He emphasized, "Neulbom School targets all grades, but in elementary schools, the demand for care is concentrated in the lower grades. Especially first-grade homeroom teachers inevitably receive many complaints, which results in a significantly heavier workload for them."

Lee also reported that many schools are unable to hire instructors as Neulbom School is implemented nationwide simultaneously. He stated, "Among the cases of disruption, over 80% are due to the inability to find instructors. Particularly in island and remote areas, the pool of instructors is very limited. Schools that cannot find external instructors end up having teachers serve as instructors to run the programs."

Regarding the government's plan, led by President Yoon Seok-yeol, to invite social leaders as daily instructors for Neulbom School, Lee said, "The response on the ground is one of great disbelief. While it may be seen as utilizing various community resources, it is merely a very temporary and short-term program. It cannot be a solution to the instructor supply problem."

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