Teacher's Day Ceremony Held... Awards and Commendations for 3,133 Educators

The 40th Teachers' Day Ceremony at Chungnam Ganggyeong High School

On the 15th, at Beomgye Middle School in Anyang-si, Gyeonggi-do, a representative student is expressing gratitude to a teacher during the 2019 Let's Be Together Teachers' Day event. Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] To celebrate Teachers' Day, the Ministry of Education awarded teachers who conducted career exploration classes through remote learning despite the COVID-19 situation and operated remote education call centers.

On the 14th, the Ministry of Education held a Teachers' Day commemorative ceremony at Ganggyeong High School in Chungnam at 10 a.m. Teachers' Day originated from the "Eunsa's Day," when youth Red Cross members at Ganggyeong High School in Chungnam visited teachers who were bedridden or retired in 1958. The event was organized to reflect on the original meaning of Teachers' Day at the place that contributed to its establishment.

About 30 people, including government award recipients for Teachers' Day and their accompanying family members, attended the event. The ceremony was held on a small scale and broadcast live through SNS channels and the Ministry of Education's YouTube channel.

To encourage teachers dedicated to the education field, government awards and commendations from the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education were presented. These included 17 Geunjeong Medals, 16 Geunjeong Certificates of Merit, 94 Presidential Citations, 105 Prime Minister Citations, and 2,901 Ministerial Citations.

Park Youngju, a teacher at Sejong Arts High School; Lee Mira, an education researcher at Gwangju Education Research Information Center; Jeong Boksun, principal of Yongho Elementary School; Kim Wihyang, principal of Daegu Jukgok Elementary School; and Kim Youngmi, director of Cheongju Education Support Office, received the Red Stripes of the Order of Service Merit. Park Seongsu, a teacher at Gangwon Myeongjin School, who overcame level 1 visual impairment and became a special school teacher, also recognized for his work as a research committee member of the Braille Research Committee, received the Green Stripes of the Order of Service Merit.

The Ministry of Education is conducting a non-face-to-face event from the 3rd to the 30th so that the public can naturally recall their teachers from memories and express gratitude on Teachers' Day. In cooperation with the portal Daum, a special page for the public campaign "Thank you, Teacher. We support you, Teacher" is being operated.

Events sharing warmth are underway, such as writing congratulatory handwritten letters for Teachers' Day via SNS and distributing KakaoTalk emoticons that teachers and students can exchange.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Yoo Eun-hye said, "The driving force to quickly recover from learning loss caused by COVID-19 and to achieve a transition to future education is none other than our teachers," adding, "As the core agents of school education, we will strengthen the protection of teachers' educational activities so that they can focus on education with vigor in the field."