Assaulted by Elementary Student During Class... No Protection Due to 'Instructor' Status

Fourth Grader in Ulsan Kicks and Swears at Instructor
Education Support Staff Union Demands Safety Measures

An English conversation instructor at an elementary school in Ulsan was assaulted and verbally abused by a student during class but did not receive any protection or support. In response, the union of education support staff urged the authorities to prepare measures to safeguard instructors' educational activities.

According to Yonhap News on May 18, the Ulsan branch of the National School Irregular Workers' Division, part of the Korean Public Service and Transport Workers’ Union under the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, issued a press release stating, "On May 8, at a local elementary school, a student kicked an English conversation instructor and verbally abused them, marking a serious infringement on educational activities." The union continued, "However, since the incident, the victimized instructor has had to endure the pain alone, without receiving any official protection or support from the education authorities."

Ulsan Metropolitan Office of Education

It was reported that student A, a fourth grader, refused to follow instructor B’s directions during an English class and used abusive language, saying, "Don’t XX." The student also kicked instructor B's leg and disrupted the class for about ten minutes.

The union pointed out, "Although English conversation instructors are responsible for regular classes and work full-time, just like English subject teachers, they have been left vulnerable and unprotected simply because their title is 'instructor.' The victim, who has worked for 16 years, expressed that being disregarded by the education administration as someone not eligible for protection was even more shocking and disheartening than the physical injuries from the assault." The union went on to demand, "We urge the Ulsan Metropolitan Office of Education to provide teacher rights protection and psychological and administrative support for English conversation instructors, to officially include them in the educational activity protection system so that the same standards as teachers apply when educational activity infringement occurs, and to establish effective on-site safety measures to prevent recurrence. All educational workers must be equally protected," it emphasized.

Currently, instructor B is on sick leave. The student responsible is reported to have submitted a written apology and faced disciplinary action from the School Life Education Committee.

An official from the Ulsan Metropolitan Office of Education explained, "English conversation instructors are classified as instructors under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, and therefore are not covered by the ‘Special Act on the Improvement of Teachers’ Status and Protection of Educational Activities,’ so they are not included in the protection system of the Educational Activity Protection Center. However, we are striving to alleviate concerns about lack of protection by offering immediate emotional and psychological counseling through interdepartmental cooperation and by providing necessary guidance at the school site." The official added, "We will continue efforts to introduce institutional improvements and establish on-site safety measures so that all members of the educational community are equally guaranteed safety."

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