Gyeonggi and Seoul Superintendent Candidates Jointly Declare: "We Will End the Era of Teachers Bearing Responsibilities Alone"

Gyeonggi Superintendent Candidate An Minseok and Seoul Superintendent Candidate Jeong Geunsik

Announce 'Three Major Pledges to Restore Teachers' Rights' on Teachers' Day

What Teachers Need: The Right to Teach, Citizenship Rights, and the Right to Be Protected

On May 15, the 45th Teachers' Day, An Minseok, the unified Democratic Progressive candidate for Gyeonggi Province Superintendent of Education, announced joint policy pledges to restore teachers' rights together with Jeong Geunsik, candidate for Seoul Superintendent of Education. He stated, "We will put an end to schools where teachers must shoulder everything alone and transform Gyeonggi education into one where the superintendent and the education office share responsibility together."

An Minseok, the unified candidate for the Democratic Progressive Party for Gyeonggi Province Superintendent of Education, announced joint policy pledges to restore teachers' rights on the 45th Teachers' Day on the 15th, together with Jung Geunsik, candidate for Seoul Superintendent of Education. Photo provided by candidate An Minseok

Candidate An remarked, "Teachers' Day ought to be a day of gratitude and celebration, but now it has become a day that reminds teachers of complaints and lawsuits, excessive administrative work, and the absence of colleagues." He continued, "While the burdens on school teachers persist, the systems in place to actually protect educators remain insufficient."

He added, "As candidates for superintendent of education in Gyeonggi and Seoul, where half of South Korea's teachers work, we stand here to pledge together that we will protect teachers. We will effectively implement policies to safeguard teachers' rights so that the changes beginning in Gyeonggi and Seoul set the standard nationwide."

The teacher protection pledges jointly announced by both candidates were organized into three main areas.

First, restoring the 'right to teach.'

Jeong and An stated, "To ensure that teachers do not have to handle legal disputes arising from legitimate educational activities on their own, we will operate a dedicated teacher protection body directly under the superintendent and establish a comprehensive protection system that provides immediate legal, psychological, and administrative support." They also pledged, "We will create a structure in which both the education office and schools share responsibility so that parents' complaints are not delivered directly to individual teachers."

Second, restoring the 'citizenship rights of teachers.'

Jeong and An emphasized, "Teachers are both educational experts who have been closest to the educational field and citizens. While maintaining political neutrality within schools, the reality that teachers' civic expression and policy participation as citizens outside of school are restricted must change." To this end, they announced that Seoul and Gyeonggi would work together to initiate institutional reforms to restore teachers' basic rights.

An Minseok, the unified Democratic Progressive candidate for Governor of Gyeonggi Province Office of Education, announced a joint policy pledge to restore teachers' rights on May 15, the 45th Teacher's Day, together with Jeong Geunsik, candidate for Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education. Photo by An Minseok

Third, restoring the 'right to be protected.'

Jeong and An announced plans to negotiate with the central government to improve the reality of teaching allowances and working conditions. At the same time, they pledged to implement practical support policies to prevent teacher burnout, such as introducing a 'teacher mental health recovery leave system,' establishing support for substitute classes, and creating recovery spaces within schools.

An stated, "Of all these policies, ensuring immunity for teachers' educational activities is most important." He continued, "The education office will take immediate action from the first day of my term on issues under its authority, and for matters that require laws and institutional reform, the superintendents of Gyeonggi and Seoul will persistently pursue them through the Council of Superintendents and the National Assembly until they are accomplished."

He further stated, "If even one teacher falters, an entire classroom is shaken, and the students with it. We will create schools where teachers are protected together, not left to bear responsibility alone, and where teachers can teach without fear."

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