National Teachers’ Union Surveys 4,264 Teachers on the 1st Anniversary of the Death of the Late So Eui-chu, Highlighting the Urgent Task of ‘Amending the Child Welfare Law’,
The image of a candlelight culture festival held on the 49th memorial day of the late teacher at So Eui-chu Elementary School in September last year. Yonhap News,
, ‘Following the death of a teacher at So Eui-chu Elementary School, a survey revealed that although a policy to protect teachers’ rights was established, frontline teachers have not felt the effects of institutional improvement. Shocking incidents of violation of teachers’ rights, such as a vice principal slapping an elementary student, have continued, leading to the perception that it is not yet a safe environment to focus on education.’,
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, ‘The Korean Federation of Teachers’ Associations (KFTA) released survey results on the 1st anniversary of the sacrifice of a teacher at So Eui-chu Elementary School, conducted from September 9 to 12 targeting 4,264 teachers nationwide from elementary to high school. 48.1% of respondents (multiple responses) stated that the significance left by the So Eui-chu incident was a ‘chance to inform society of the serious collapse of classroom discipline and the decline of teachers’ authority.’,
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, ‘Only 16.2% responded that it ‘highlighted the need for a culture of respect for schools and teachers,’ while 11.6% stated that it ‘contributed to improving the protection of teachers’ rights.’ The KFTA analyzed that the So Eui-chu incident sounded the alarm about the collapse of teachers’ authority, but it is difficult for teachers to feel substantial changes in the protection of teachers’ rights.’,
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, ‘Regarding incidents that have shocked teachers since the So Eui-chu incident, the most frequently mentioned were ‘repeated extreme choices made by teachers’ (22.7%). Following the So Eui-chu incident, teachers’ deaths in Seoul, Daejeon, Chungbuk, Jeonbuk, and Jeju had a significant impact on the teaching community. This was followed by the incident of a student insulting and slapping a vice principal at an elementary school in Jeonju, Jeonbuk(20.8%). Notably, a considerable number of teachers also mentioned the incident of a teacher being prosecuted for reckless manslaughter in a field trip accident in Sokcho, Gangwon Province(20.6%).’,
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, ‘Among the most urgent tasks for protecting teachers’ rights, ‘amending the Child Welfare Law to clearly define ambiguous standards of emotional abuse’ (45.2%) was the most selected. This was followed by ‘amending the School Safety Law to exempt teachers from responsibility in the event of unintentional accidents at school’ (20.1%), and ‘amending the Educational Personnel Law to consider educational activities as violations of teachers’ status in cases where a report of innocent child abuse results in a non-guilty decision’ (15.7%).\n’]