South Korea tightens law to protect teachers from pushy parents

Protesters in South Korea have been calling for reforms to ambiguous child welfare laws
Protesters in South Korea have been calling for reforms to ambiguous child welfare laws - AHN YOUNG-JOON/AP

South Korea has tightened laws to protect teachers from pushy parents, following nine weeks of protests triggered by the suicide of a 23-year-old primary school teacher in July.

The national assembly approved the new Teacher Rights Restoration Bill to support teachers who were being punished for complaints about their discipline style.

The bill includes an end to automatic suspension following reports of alleged child abuse, financial support for teachers fighting lawsuits, and more responsibility for head teachers to support their staff.

It comes after a spate of deaths this summer that highlighted the pressures facing teachers in an ultra-competitive society that prizes academic achievement, and the impact of malicious complaints from parents.

Protesters have been calling for reforms to ambiguous child welfare laws introduced in 2014, which stated that “doing harm to a child’s health or welfare, or committing physical, mental or sexual violence or cruel acts” constitutes child abuse.

Those accused were automatically suspended, and offences punishable by law.

Flowers were laid to commemorate a 23-year-old primary school teacher who took her own life in July
Flowers were laid to commemorate a 23-year-old primary school teacher who took her own life in July - JUNG YEON-JE/AFP

Teachers said the broad legislation prevented them from disciplining students, and was being exploited by parents seeking to remove them from their jobs.

“The successful passage of these laws is thanks to the efforts of teachers who have taken to the streets every week… we express our deep gratitude to them,” the Korean Federation of Teachers’ Union said after the bill was passed.

The chairman of the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union also welcomed the legislation as the “first step toward normalising public education and guaranteeing teaching authority”.

But he warned that without sufficient manpower and budget, the effectiveness of the laws may be limited – and called for amendments to the Child Welfare Act to ensure that disciplining pupils cannot be labelled as child abuse.

The legal changes follow a series of new government guidelines designed to protect teachers, including a chatbot service in Seoul that will act as a first port of call for parents’ complaints, after months of protests and large-scale walkouts.

These erupted after a young primary school teacher was found dead in her classroom in Seoul. Her diary later revealed she was under extreme pressure at work, and had been bombarded with parent complaints.

Several other cases have since emerged, and teachers have spoken widely about a rise in criticism from parents desperate for their children to succeed in an ultra-competitive education system, where pupils must jostle from an early age to get the exceptional grades needed for a place at a top university.

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