Gyeongnam Teachers' Union: "We Will Achieve Change That Makes Education a Source of Hope"

"We will act so that we do not lose any more teachers."

The Gyeongnam Teachers' Union made this statement in remembrance of the Seoul Seoi Elementary School teacher who ended her own life a year ago due to malicious complaints from a parent.

On the 18th, the Gyeongnam Teachers' Union stated, "These heartbreaking sacrifices have led to the creation of the Three Laws for Teachers' Rights and related policies, as a reflection on the collapse of classroom authority, but change has stopped there," adding, "Teachers are still being reported for child abuse for guiding students to apologize after a dispute, and teachers in charge are being brought to court due to unforeseen accidents during field trips."

"There are still cases where teachers are slapped in the face while trying to stop students from leaving school without permission, and some are driven to take their own lives after enduring repeated malicious complaints," the union added.

In front of the main gate of the Gyeongnam Office of Education, memorial banners for teachers from Seoul Seoi Elementary School are hung side by side by the Gyeongnam Teachers' Union and the Gyeongnam Branch of the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union.
[Photo by Gyeongnam Teachers' Union]

To resolve these issues, the union said, "We will push for revisions to the Child Welfare Act to clarify the standards for emotional abuse and to exclude legitimate educational activities from being classified as child abuse."

They also pledged to focus on: ▲amending the School Safety Act to exempt teachers from civil and criminal liability for school safety accidents such as during field trips, unless there is intent or gross negligence; ▲amending the Teachers' Status Act to strengthen penalties for indiscriminate child abuse reports and malicious complaints by treating them as obstruction of business; ▲enacting the Crisis Student Response Support Act to establish systems for separating problematic students from classrooms and providing professional counseling, treatment, and recovery; and ▲amending the School Violence Prevention Act to define the scope of school violence as including educational activities.

The union also called for the establishment of a system where teachers do not directly receive complaints, the creation of dedicated response teams at education offices for malicious complaints, the complete transfer of non-essential administrative work away from teachers, and measures to eradicate secret recordings in classrooms.

Regarding the enactment of the Special Act on Student Human Rights Protection, the union stated, "We will ensure that this is stopped."

"With worsening malicious complaints, inability to provide guidance, and excessive work stress, the unique nature of the teaching profession and the realities of schools must be reflected, and deaths in the line of duty should be recognized," the union emphasized, highlighting the need to improve the system for recognizing teachers' deaths in service.

The union concluded, "We will bring about change so that education becomes a source of hope," and "We will create classrooms filled with love and respect."

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