As the strengthening of teachers’ authority comes to reality, some students are worried about unfair punishment and teachers.

The issue of teachers’ authority in South Korea has recently been brought to the forefront, initiated by the incident of a teacher’s suicide at Seoul Seo2 Elementary School.

Through the rally on September 9th, they have sought to raise awareness about the challenges they face, and many proposals have been put forward to address teachers’ authority issues.

According to statistics released by KFTA (Korean Federation of Teachers’ Associations) in 2023, there was an approximate 32% increase in cases of violation of teachers’ authority in 2022 compared to nine years ago.

Among these cases, the most prevalent category, less than 50%, was associated with harm caused by students’ parents.

Nearly all cases reported to KFTA were terminated as “not guilty” by the prosecutors.

These raised concerns that the low harm inflicted on parents themselves was being exploited, leading to an increase in the case of baseless reports of child abuse.

In response to the growing public attention on these issues, MOE has announced proposed amendments to four laws for the safeguarding of teachers’ authority: Special Act on the Improvement of Teachers’ Status and the Protection of Their Educational Activities, Elementary and Secondary Education Act, Early Childhood Education Act, Framework Act on Education.

According to a press release issued by MOE on 21st Sep, the amendments include the following provisions.

- Protection of teachers from indiscriminate reports of child abuse

- Protection of teachers from malicious complaints from parents.

- Imposing responsibilities to balance between the rights and obligations of guardians.

Additionally, the Ministry of Education Lee Ju-ho stated, “The Ministry of Education will make every effort to address the challenges in schools and ensure that prompt establishment of teachers’ authority through law enforcement.”

Students at a middle school in Seoul are divided in their opinions regarding these proposed amendments and the strengthening of teachers’ authority.

Some believed that “strengthening of teachers’ authority will lead to a better learning environment,” and others expressed concerns saying, “Excessively radical strengthening of teachers’ authority could potentially infringe on students’ rights.”

A student hoped to create a punishment plan for unified teachers in the government, saying, "Level of punishment varies depending on the teacher and strengthening the teachers’ authority may lead to unfair punishment that does not fit the students' faults."

Through interviews with teachers who remain anonymous, it was found that teachers' opinions on strengthening teaching authority were neutral.

These educators neither strongly supported nor opposed the idea, preferring to carefully consider the potential impacts and benefits before forming a definitive opinion.

In the case of parents, there were generally many opinions that the school needed more authoritative control over their children.

One parent replied that it would be better for their children to learn how to respect people and live in order than to learn at school.

Reaching a balance between the diverse opinions regarding the issue is difficult because each party has contrasting perspectives on the issue.

The mere introduction of new laws and rules does not seem to satisfy the public.

It will require more approaches and discussions to address the concerns of everyone.

Chaemoon Han

Grade 9

Laurel Springs School