Superintendent Im Taehee: "We Will Strengthen Protection of Educational Activities by Separating the Current Teachers' Status Act"

Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education to Promote the Enactment of the "Act on the Protection of Educational Activities" (Tentative Title)
First Step Toward Separate Legislation of the Teachers' Status Act to Strengthen Protection of Educational Activities

The Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education (Superintendent Im Taehee) held the final research briefing on the separate legislation of the "Special Act on the Improvement of Teachers' Status and Protection of Educational Activities" (hereinafter referred to as the Teachers' Status Act) at the Marriott Gwanggyo on the 25th, and unveiled a draft of the proposed "Act on the Protection of Educational Activities" (tentative title).

Im Taehee, Superintendent of Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education, is holding the final research presentation on the separate legislation of the "Special Act on the Improvement of Teachers' Status and Protection of Educational Activities" on the 25th at Marriott Gwanggyo. Provided by Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education

This research was conducted to strengthen the legal foundation for protecting educational activities by separating the functions of "improving teachers' status" and "protecting educational activities," which are currently combined in the Teachers' Status Act.

The research included: ▲ an assessment of the validity of separating the provisions for the protection of educational activities, ▲ identification of issues and legislative tasks in the current Teachers' Status Act, ▲ focus group interviews (FGI) with teachers, parents, and legal professionals, ▲ analysis of overseas legislative cases, and ▲ presentation of a draft for the proposed "Act on the Protection of Educational Activities" (tentative title).

At the final briefing, Professor Jeon Jesang of Gongju National University of Education proposed legislative tasks based on an analysis of the current legal system, key issues, field perception surveys, and overseas case studies, and presented a draft of the new law reflecting these findings.

The draft of the "Act on the Protection of Educational Activities" (tentative title) newly includes: ▲ the ideology and principles of protecting educational activities, ▲ the definition of educational activities, ▲ establishment of a policy deliberation committee, ▲ protection from civil complaints and school visits, ▲ operation of educational activity protection investigators, ▲ support for teachers who are victims of cyberbullying, ▲ removal of high-risk students from classrooms, ▲ liability for damages by guardians, and ▲ special provisions for aggravated punishment of violations.

Superintendent Im Taehee stated, "The protection of teachers' authority and educational activities is a value that must be established as part of school culture, not something that can be resolved simply by enacting a law," adding, "However, since the current Teachers' Status Act combines the status and protection functions, there is a need to lay a clear legal foundation by separating them."

He further emphasized, "The Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education's policies to protect educational activities, such as promoting a culture of mutual respect in schools and operating the Safe Call TAC, are already proving effective in the field," and expressed hope that the separate legislation of the Teachers' Status Act would become a major turning point in protecting educational activities in Korea.

Meanwhile, the provincial office plans to supplement the draft law through consultations with relevant agencies and collection of stakeholder opinions in 2026, and to proceed with the full legislative process as a follow-up measure.

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