Announcement of the Number of New Teaching Appointment Exam Positions for the 2023 Academic Year
8.3% Decrease in Kindergarten, Elementary, and Secondary Levels, Kindergarten Enrollment Drops Sharply for Second Consecutive Year
Seoul Elementary Teachers Reduced from 216 to 100
Cho Hee-yeon "Concerns Over Increased Students per Class and Denial of Educational Opportunities"
Ministry of Education "Approximately 3,500 Elementary and 4,900 Secondary Teachers Expected to be Selected"
On the morning of the 6th, when most schools nationwide had started the new semester, a teacher was conducting a class in a 4th-grade classroom at Beondong Elementary School in Gangbuk-gu, Seoul.
The reduction of teacher quotas is accelerating due to the decline in the school-age population. This year, the recruitment scale for kindergarten, elementary, and secondary school teachers decreased by 8.3% compared to last year. In particular, the number of elementary school teachers in Seoul has been cut in half.
According to the Ministry of Education on the 29th, the 17 metropolitan and provincial offices of education have pre-announced the planned number of new public teacher appointments for the 2023 academic year. The pre-announced recruitment number for kindergarten, elementary, and secondary school teachers totals 8,021, which is an 8.3% decrease from the final announcement for the 2022 academic year (8,747).
By school level, the numbers are ▲kindergarten 386 ▲elementary 3,518 ▲secondary (subject teachers) 4,117. Compared to the previous year's final announcement, kindergarten decreased by 186 (33.3%), elementary by 240 (6.4%), and secondary by 293 (6.6%). Especially, the number of kindergarten teacher recruitments has halved since the 2021 academic year when it was in the 1,200 range, and it has sharply declined for two consecutive years including this year.
Cho Hee-yeon, Superintendent of Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, is participating as a special mentor in the new teacher growth support program held on the 12th at Gajaeul Middle School in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, engaging in conversation with teachers newly appointed this year. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@
In particular, in Seoul, the recruitment scale for elementary school teachers has decreased by more than half. Seoul announced that it will recruit 100 elementary school teachers this year, which is 116 fewer (53.7%) than the previous year (216). Kindergarten recruitment is 10, which is 32 fewer (76.9%) than the previous year.
Regarding this teacher reduction, Cho Hee-yeon, Superintendent of Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, urged in an emergency statement, "We must secure teacher quotas to reduce the number of students per class, improve the quality of education, realize student-tailored education, and expand the number of new teacher recruitments."
Superintendent Cho explained, "Due to the sharp reduction in teacher quotas compared to the previous year, it is expected that schools will not be able to allocate the necessary number of teachers, and the resulting deprivation of educational opportunities will inevitably fall on the students. An appropriate number of teachers is essential to reduce student density in oversized and overcrowded classes, and securing teacher quotas is also very important for operating the high school credit system and providing student-tailored career education in specialized high schools."
Although there have been calls to reduce the number of students per class to prevent the spread of infectious diseases such as COVID-19 and learning loss, the Ministry of Education's policy direction on teacher reduction has not significantly changed. The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education has been placing fewer than 20 students per class in the first grade of elementary school since this year, but this plan has inevitably faced setbacks.
In Gyeonggi Province, it was announced that 1,530 elementary school teachers will be recruited, an increase from 1,493 last year, while 1,050 secondary school teachers will be recruited, a decrease from 1,210 last year. A Ministry of Education official explained, "The number of elementary students in Seoul has decreased significantly, so the number of teachers has also decreased. This is because many people are moving to places like Gyeonggi Province. Due to the high demand for new schools in Gyeonggi Province, the total recruitment scale in the metropolitan area has actually increased."
For special education teachers in the 2023 academic year, the Ministry of Education and metropolitan and provincial offices of education announced that only 471 will be recruited, a 47.3% decrease from 893 last year. In addition, 334 health teachers, 331 nutrition teachers, 37 librarian teachers, and 196 counseling teachers will be recruited. The final recruitment numbers are expected to be announced between September and October.
The pre-announced numbers are based on the Ministry of Education's preliminary allocation considering retirement, honorary retirement, and the number of students and classes, but the final recruitment numbers are expected to increase slightly. The Ministry of Education explained, "We expect to recruit around 3,500 elementary school teachers and around 4,900 secondary school teachers."
The Ministry of Education sets mid- to long-term teacher supply and demand plans considering future population projections from Statistics Korea. In 2018, the Ministry planned in the mid- to long-term teacher supply and demand plan (2019?2030) to stabilize the annual number of elementary school teachers at around 3,500 by 2030, reflecting the decline in the school-age population. However, when the number of elementary students in 2030 was adjusted to 1.72 million, 500,000 fewer than the initially expected 2.26 million the following year, the Ministry revised the recruitment scale for elementary school teachers for the 2023?2024 academic years to around 3,000. The recruitment scale for secondary school teachers is around 4,000. The teacher supply and demand plan after 2025 is expected to be announced based on last year's population projections.
A Ministry of Education official explained, "Until 2025, the mid- to long-term teacher supply and demand plan announced in July 2020 will be applied, and the new supply and demand model will be applied thereafter. However, since the new government has taken office, there are many policy discussions to consider, such as the high school credit system."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
