"“I'm Afraid to Go to School” The Cries of Teachers, Not Students"

Number of Consultations and Cases on Teacher Rights Violations Hits Six-Year High
87% of Teachers Consider Job Change or Resignation

Ahead of Teachers' Day, a survey conducted by the Korea Federation of Teachers' Associations (KFTA) revealed that teachers are facing serious difficulties due to the decline in teacher authority. Violations of teacher rights have worsened to pre-COVID-19 levels, leading to an increase in teachers seeking psychiatric treatment or counseling.

According to the "2022 Report on Teacher Rights Protection and Counseling Activities" released by KFTA on the 11th, the number of consultations and cases related to teacher rights violations reported to KFTA last year was 520, the highest in six years since 2016 (572 cases).

During 2020 (403 cases) and 2021 (437 cases), when remote classes increased due to the spread of COVID-19, the number of cases decreased compared to before, but last year, as most classes returned to face-to-face instruction, the number of consultations on teacher rights violations surged significantly.

The primary perpetrators of teacher rights violations were parents. Before the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019 (513 cases), damages caused by parents ranked first with 238 cases, but during the COVID-19 period with remote classes, damages caused by school staff ranked first. However, last year, damages caused by parents again took first place with 241 cases, an increase of 93 cases from 148 in 2021.

Among teacher rights violations caused by parents, "threats of child abuse reports and lawsuits" were the most frequent. The number of teachers who were reported for child abuse and applied for legal fee support from KFTA’s teacher rights protection fund also increased. Applications for legal fees related to child abuse cases more than doubled from 11 cases in 2018 to 26 cases in 2022.

KFTA stated, "Most of the lawsuits filed by parents were dismissed by the prosecution due to lack of evidence, indicating many false accusations."

Representative cases include a teacher who sent a student to the health office because the student said they were feeling unwell during class but was later falsely reported for child abuse after the student lied to their parents saying, "The teacher hit me and that's why I am hurt"; and a teacher who was reported for child abuse by the parents after the Teacher Rights Protection Committee decided on psychological treatment for a disabled student who habitually assaulted the teacher and classmates.

Among teacher rights violations caused by students, "disruption of class" was the most frequently cited by teachers. Some teachers noted that students with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) tendencies cause various problems during class, but they hesitate to discipline them for fear of being reported for child abuse.

In this situation, teachers were found to be under severe stress. According to a survey conducted by the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union (KTU) from the 20th to the 28th of last month targeting 11,377 union members, 87.0% of teachers responded that they had considered changing jobs or resigning in the past year (25.9% almost daily, 33.5% often, 27.6% occasionally). Additionally, 26.6% of teachers reported having received psychiatric treatment or counseling due to teacher rights violations in the past five years. Teachers who had experienced being reported for child abuse during educational activities accounted for 5.7%.

Kim Yong-seo, chairman of the KTU, said, "An environment where teachers are respected in educational settings and receive socially just treatment must be established."