The legislatures in South Korea have passed a new law as school teachers are targeted by parents when their children misbehave, disturb the class, or show below-average results.
South Korea has passed a new law according to the demands of school teachers who have been on the roads for the last nine weeks. They demand more protection from parents and more rights in classrooms. The representatives say that parents harass them frequently. Moreover, parents try to report them for child abuse maliciously. It is one of the reasons that forces the management to remove teachers from their jobs.
According to some teachers, they were reported only because they tried to stop a violent child. Sometimes, they tried to stop the children from discussing and were harassed.
After a nine-week protest, South Korea passed the Teacher Rights Restoration Bill. According to this bill, the management cannot immediately remove the teacher when receiving a child abuse report. Investigating the issue and getting the evidence before removing the teacher is essential. Moreover, in case of removal, the teachers will get financial support to fight a lawsuit. Additionally, head teachers will be more responsible and try to protect their staff more effectively.
The teachers’ protest started when a 23-year-old primary school teacher committed suicide. She had to do so because her parents complained about her, and she was dealing with these complaints. The teachers think the culture of malicious complaints has been developed in the country. Therefore, they cannot maintain discipline in the class and teach the students effectively.
The Korean Federation of Teachers’ Unions supported these protests and welcomed these legislations. According to the federation, they want to teach and protect the students simultaneously. The federation also appreciated the teachers for their 9-week protest and got their actual rights through legislation.
According to the government’s new guidelines, teachers can handle disruptive students more effectively because they have a right to remove such students from the classroom. They can also restrain these students if required.
