Jeonnam Provincial Office of Education Supports Operating Expenses for Traffic Safety Guide Volunteers

The Jeonnam Provincial Office of Education announced on the 13th that starting from this new semester, it will provide operating expenses for traffic safety guidance volunteers at 93 elementary schools across Jeonnam province.

'Traffic safety guidance volunteers' spend about an hour during school arrival times guiding children’s pedestrian crossing and controlling traffic signals near crosswalks, receiving a modest activity allowance.

The Jeonnam Provincial Office of Education will provide operating expenses for traffic safety guidance volunteers at elementary schools across Jeonnam Province starting from the new semester this year. Photo by Jeonnam Provincial Office of Education

Until now, parents of elementary school children have been guiding traffic safety by controlling vehicles at crosswalks during school commute times, but working moms with jobs faced significant inconvenience, such as having to take leave for traffic safety volunteering.

Additionally, non-participating parents felt excluded, and homeroom teachers had a heavy workload designating volunteers for each class. In particular, most elementary schools were criticized for requiring parents to participate mandatorily 3 to 4 times a year.

Traffic safety guidance volunteers are primarily appointed from parents who voluntarily wish to participate, and local residents can also take part. Supported elementary schools can operate flexibly by appointing traffic safety guidance volunteers on different days according to their school circumstances.

Superintendent Kim Dae-jung emphasized, “There was a demand to find improvement measures for traffic safety volunteering that parents feel burdened by,” adding, “We will create a safer commuting environment by improving traffic safety conditions for children going to school.”