Korea Teachers Federation: "Yoon Seok-yeol Government Should Shift Policy Focus to Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education"

Holding a Press Conference in Front of the Presidential Office to Urge Action on 7 Major Education Issues

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] The education sector has urged the Yoon Seok-yeol administration to shift its policy to place early childhood, elementary, and secondary education at the center of national governance. They demanded the implementation of seven key tasks, including the establishment of a Student Guidance Act and the introduction of a 20-student cap per class.

On the 6th, the Korea Federation of Teachers' Associations and the 17 metropolitan and provincial teachers' associations jointly held a "Press Conference Urging the Yoon Seok-yeol Government to Resolve Educational Issues" in front of the Yongsan Presidential Office.

Jung Sung-guk, president of the Korea Federation of Teachers' Associations, emphasized, "Early childhood, elementary, and secondary education, which are indispensable for strengthening university education competitiveness and nurturing outstanding talent for future industries, must be placed at the center of national governance." He added, "Efforts should be made to enhance national educational competitiveness through improving educational conditions and field support policies such as fostering students' proper character, enhancing basic academic skills, and introducing a 20-student cap per class."

The Korea Federation of Teachers' Associations presented seven major educational issues: △ Establishment of a Student Guidance Act to protect teachers' rights △ Introduction of a 20-student cap per class △ Abolition of teachers' administrative duties △ Transfer of after-school care and extracurricular programs to local governments △ Designation of schools as essential public interest workplaces △ Abolition of teacher competency evaluations and differential performance pay △ Guarantee of the special nature of public officials' pensions. A petition conducted by the federation from June 27 for three months gathered 116,392 signatures.

The federation stated, "The powerless reality where teachers cannot provide any guidance in the face of disruptive behavior and violence reflects the current state of public education in the Republic of Korea." They urged, "The government and the National Assembly must immediately legislate to strengthen student guidance to protect the learning rights of the vast majority of well-behaved students and safeguard teachers' rights."

They also stressed the need to increase the number of teaching staff and implement the 20-student cap per class policy. According to the federation, there are 86,000 overcrowded classes nationwide with 26 or more students per class, and one in six middle school teachers and one in five high school teachers are temporary staff. Ahead of the full implementation of the high school credit system in 2025, the estimated number of required teachers is 88,000.

The federation criticized, "The Ministry of the Interior and Safety and the Ministry of Economy and Finance are fixated on the mechanical economic logic of declining student numbers and are pushing for an unprecedented reduction of 3,000 teaching positions." They demanded, "The government and the National Assembly must increase the number of teachers, reflect this in the budget, and promptly pass the bill to cap class sizes at 20 students."

Regarding the plan to amend the Local Finance Allocation Act to divert funds to higher education budgets, they pointed out, "Even now, the early childhood, elementary, and secondary education environment remains poor, with aging schools, asbestos classrooms, ill-fitting desks and chairs, chalkboards, and squat toilets." They emphasized, "Funding for higher education should be stably secured by enacting a separate Higher Education Finance Allocation Act."