The Push for Teachers’ Rights
written by 10208 Kim Ha Yun
Rallies have been held since the suicide of a teacher at Seo Yi Elementary School.
Teachers demand the restoration of their teaching authority. They complained of difficulties in practical discipline, suffering from malicious complaints, so they require systemic changes.
In a survey of 21,317 primary school teachers, 96.8% answered “no” to the question “Do you think you can actively deal with student misbehavior?”
The reason why most teachers struggle with discipline is because some parents take advantage of child abuse laws.
Simply scolding a misbehaving student can get a teacher accused of emotional abuse. If the teacher is accused, he is removed from his position, regardless of the facts.
Because of fear of being sued, teachers may not be able to discipline, like having a misbehaving student out of the classroom in a moment or stepping in between students who are fighting and physically stopping them. This can harm not only the teacher, but other students in the class as well.
According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s Annual Report on Child Abuse, in the past nine years, 11,626 teachers were sued for child abuse, but only 1.6% of them were convicted. This means 98.4% of the teachers sued were found not liable.
On September 15th, the Teacher Rights Restoration Bill passed the National Assembly plenary session.
The Teacher Rights Restoration Bill ensures that teachers cannot be removed from their positions without justification because they are sued for child abuse. It also protects teachers by requiring the superintendent to submit an opinion to the investigating agency in the event of a child abuse investigation.
On October 14th, teachers held their tenth rally. They called for the revision of the Child Welfare Act, the legal basis for reporting child abuse, saying that the Teachers Rights Restoration Bill are not enough to prevent indiscriminate lawsuits.
Emotional child abuse is defined as “emotionally abusive behavior that harm a child’s mental health and development.”
However, the meaning of “emotionally abusive behavior” is uncertain, so still there are possibilities of alleging.
Some are concerned that strengthening teacher rights will lead to a regression in student rights. They say the Child Welfare Act is an essential law for protecting children, and making exceptions to it could be problematic.
It is true, but today our classroom isn’t working well as a classroom. Teachers can’t make a meaningful change for students because of overprotective student rights.
Student rights and teacher rights are both important. Finding the right balance between them is our assignment.
Teachers demand the restoration of their teaching authority. They complained of difficulties in practical discipline, suffering from malicious complaints, so they require systemic changes.
In a survey of 21,317 primary school teachers, 96.8% answered “no” to the question “Do you think you can actively deal with student misbehavior?”
The reason why most teachers struggle with discipline is because some parents take advantage of child abuse laws.
Simply scolding a misbehaving student can get a teacher accused of emotional abuse. If the teacher is accused, he is removed from his position, regardless of the facts.
Because of fear of being sued, teachers may not be able to discipline, like having a misbehaving student out of the classroom in a moment or stepping in between students who are fighting and physically stopping them. This can harm not only the teacher, but other students in the class as well.
According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s Annual Report on Child Abuse, in the past nine years, 11,626 teachers were sued for child abuse, but only 1.6% of them were convicted. This means 98.4% of the teachers sued were found not liable.
On September 15th, the Teacher Rights Restoration Bill passed the National Assembly plenary session.
The Teacher Rights Restoration Bill ensures that teachers cannot be removed from their positions without justification because they are sued for child abuse. It also protects teachers by requiring the superintendent to submit an opinion to the investigating agency in the event of a child abuse investigation.
On October 14th, teachers held their tenth rally. They called for the revision of the Child Welfare Act, the legal basis for reporting child abuse, saying that the Teachers Rights Restoration Bill are not enough to prevent indiscriminate lawsuits.
Emotional child abuse is defined as “emotionally abusive behavior that harm a child’s mental health and development.”
However, the meaning of “emotionally abusive behavior” is uncertain, so still there are possibilities of alleging.
Some are concerned that strengthening teacher rights will lead to a regression in student rights. They say the Child Welfare Act is an essential law for protecting children, and making exceptions to it could be problematic.
It is true, but today our classroom isn’t working well as a classroom. Teachers can’t make a meaningful change for students because of overprotective student rights.
Student rights and teacher rights are both important. Finding the right balance between them is our assignment.
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