As South Korea struggles with growing stories of abuse in opposition to lecturers, authorities knowledge confirmed {that a} rising variety of homeroom lecturers are requesting to get replaced.
In 2023, 124 homeroom lecturers have been changed at their very own request, which is greater than double in contrast the 54 who have been in 2020, in response to Ministry of Training knowledge submitted to Rep. Jeong Sung-kook of the ruling Folks Energy Get together.
The determine has been rising for 3 years. It was 90 in 2021 and 118 in 2022, and 55 have already relinquished the publish between January and July of this yr.
Greater than half of the 203 homeroom instructor replacements final yr occurred of the instructor’s personal volition. Homeroom instructor alternative itself has been usually on an upward pattern since 71 in 2020, leaping to 142 in 2021 and 206 in 2022.
Of the homeroom lecturers changed final yr, 61.6 p.c — 125 — have been working at elementary faculties. One other 36 have been center college lecturers and 42 have been at excessive faculties.
Regional training places of work throughout the nation have rules that say homeroom lecturers might be substituted when “an unavoidable state of affairs happens associated to training.” However extra lecturers have been giving up on the position lately, in mild of various circumstances that concerned college students’ mother and father undermining their authority and abuse in opposition to lecturers.
A survey launched in Could indicated that 74.1 p.c of the lecturers in South Gyeongsang Province had been subjected to bullying prior to now three years, in response to the provincial department of the Korean Lecturers & Academic Employee’s Union. Of those that stated they have been bullied, 87.3 p.c stated they have been harassed by the principal or the vice principal, whereas 19.8 p.c stated they skilled bullying from mother and father.
Training Ministry knowledge launched final October confirmed that an amazing majority of such bullying goes unpunished. From January of 2020 to September of 2023, 748 circumstances of bullying in opposition to lecturers have been reported to the ministry.
However 523 of them didn’t result in any motion in opposition to the perpetrators.
A nationwide protest from the lecturers for his or her rights erupted within the aftermath of the 2023 incident in Seoi Elementary College in Seoul, during which then-24-year-old instructor died by suicide after alleged extreme interference from her college students’ mother and father.
An investigation revealed that a number of mother and father communicated over the telephone with the instructor regarding an incident the place one scholar attacked one other with a pencil, however the police didn’t discover proof of verbal abuse or the mother and father illegally influencing the investigation. The case was closed with no expenses pressed, sparking protests from lecturers throughout the nation.
The variety of homeroom lecturers changed on the request of the mother and father rose in 2020, 2021 and 2022, however barely decreased since 2023, presumably attributable to concern of public criticism following the Seoi college incident. This determine went from 17 in 2020, 52 in 2021, 88 in 2022, however dipped barely to 79 in 2023 and to 33 between January and July of this yr.
