Ministry of Education Holds 'Field Trip' Roundtable... Elementary Teachers' Groups Say "We Weren't Even Invited"

After President Lee's "Should We Get Rid of the Crock Because of Maggots?" Remark,

Ministry of Education Holds 'Education Community Roundtable for Safe Field Trips' on the 7th

Teachers' Organizations: "Not Invited as Panelists... Told to Sit

The Ministry of Education held a roundtable on May 7 aimed at revitalizing school field trips, but there have been criticisms that teacher organizations, which have consistently voiced concerns about field trips, were excluded from the panel discussion.

On this day, the Ministry of Education hosted a roundtable discussion for the educational community at the TP Tower in Yeouido, Seoul, focusing on ensuring safe field trips. This followed President Lee Jaemyung’s directive on April 30, instructing the Ministry to “gather opinions from teachers, parents, experts, and people from all walks of life through a public discussion process” regarding field trips.

However, teacher organizations that represent teachers were not included among the main panelists. The participants in the discussion were Jeon Seong-a, Head of Career Education at Jeollanam-do Office of Education; teachers Choi Ki-young (Incheon Nongok Elementary School) and Choi Bong-gu (Ulsan Nongso Middle School); parent Lee Yoonji; student Lee Kyungjun from Yeouido High School in Seoul; and Professor Park Byungki of Korea National University of Education.

A representative of the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union (KTU) stated, “We did not receive an official invitation from the Ministry of Education regarding this roundtable.” He added, “Normally, we receive direct contact from headquarters if there is a roundtable, but this time the request came through the Jeonnam branch, which is rather unusual.”

He continued, “The invitation was not as a ‘panelist’ but as an ‘audience member.’ It is questionable that the roundtable was held so suddenly, and it is also puzzling that teacher organizations were excluded. Why did it have to be done this way?”

The Elementary Teachers’ Union (ETU) was not even invited to the roundtable. Considering that field trips are mainly conducted at elementary schools rather than in middle or high schools, elementary school teachers are at the center of this issue.

A representative of the ETU said, “Our organization represents one-third of the 37,000 elementary school teachers, yet we received no contact regarding this roundtable.” He stated, “We only learned of the event after being notified by the Federation of Teachers’ Unions, not the Ministry of Education, and we were told to attend as an audience member, not a panelist. As a result, we boycotted the event and held a one-person protest in front of the venue but were expelled midway.”

The representative further criticized, “Why hold a roundtable that the Minister of Education does not even attend? I do not understand the purpose of holding a roundtable where teacher organizations are not given the right to speak.”

On this day, Minister of Education Choi Gyojin was originally scheduled to participate from the beginning of the event, but he joined later for the second part of the discussion due to a schedule at the National Assembly.

School field trips have been curtailed since November 2022, when a homeroom teacher of a sixth-grade student who died after being hit by a reversing bus during a field trip at a theme park in Sokcho was found guilty in court.

On April 28, President Lee commented at a Cabinet meeting regarding the reduction of school field trips, saying, “You shouldn’t get rid of the jar just because you’re worried it might breed maggots,” warning against the indiscriminate abolition of field trips. However, teacher organizations immediately protested, saying, “The reduction of field trips is being blamed on teachers.”

The KTU stated in a press release, “The reason for the decline in field trips is not teacher irresponsibility or the presence or absence of safety personnel, but the lack of legal protections,” and asserted, “Teachers should not be charged with occupational negligence resulting in injury or death for accidents occurring during educational activities.” The Korean Federation of Teachers’ Associations also said, “The fundamental reasons why teachers are avoiding field trips must be closely examined, and safety measures to address these issues must be implemented first.”

Following this, President Lee instructed the Ministry of Education to gather opinions from all sectors of society.

Regarding the roundtable, the Ministry of Education stated, “This event was organized to allow not only teachers, but also parents, students, and experts in the educational community to share their perspectives on field trips, and to hold in-depth discussions on ways to address challenges at school sites in both field trip operations and in the event of safety accidents.” The Ministry added, “Based on the discussions so far and the opinions presented at this roundtable, we plan to prepare ‘support measures for field trips.’”

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