Office of Assemblyman Kang Min-jung Asks Metropolitan and Provincial Offices of Education
8 out of 9 Respond '(If Necessary) Teacher Accompaniment'
Teacher Organizations Say "Purpose of Reducing Teacher Burden Faded"
The government introduced the 'School Violence Dedicated Investigator' system to reduce teachers' workload related to school violence and handling complaints, but some education offices are requiring 'teacher accompaniment' during investigations, prompting opposition from teacher organizations. They are concerned about the increased workload for teachers and the potential for additional complaints.
On the 22nd, Kang Min-jung, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, inquired with city and provincial education offices about whether teachers accompany students during investigations by the School Violence Dedicated Investigators. Among the nine offices that responded, eight answered that 'teacher accompaniment' is required.
In Seoul, it was stated that 'teacher accompaniment is absolutely necessary,' while Incheon, Daegu, Gwangju, Jeonbuk, and Chungbuk specified 'when the principal deems it necessary' or 'if needed.' Ulsan and Gyeongbuk responded that teacher accompaniment is (planned). Only Sejong answered that it will be operated based on the Ministry of Education's school violence case handling guidelines (such as the guidebook).
Earlier, the amendment to the enforcement decree, which serves as the basis for implementing the School Violence Investigator system, passed the Cabinet meeting on the 20th. The 17 city and provincial education offices have appointed about 2,000 dedicated investigators to operate from the first half of this year. This number falls short of the Ministry of Education's original target of 2,700.
In addition to teacher accompaniment, it has been announced that teachers will also be responsible for coordinating investigation schedules. Teacher organizations pointed out that the dedicated investigator system effectively does not reduce teachers' workload. The Korea Federation of Teachers' Associations (KFTA) stated, "The purpose of reducing teacher burden is undermined, and there are concerns about complaints from parents. (Teacher accompaniment) should be explicitly excluded from the manual," and insisted, "The investigator should directly confirm the investigation schedule with the victim and perpetrator students and their parents."
They also sent official letters to the Ministry of Education urging improvements to the system. The Federation of Teachers' Unions said, "Looking at the recruitment announcements for School Violence Dedicated Investigators by city and provincial education offices and the training content for school staff currently underway, it seems that schools and teachers cannot escape malicious complaints nor focus their capabilities on 'education,'" and sent a letter to the Ministry of Education demanding that it be specified that teachers should not accompany investigators during investigations.
The Ministry of Education plans to take a cautious approach regarding whether teachers accompany students during school violence investigations. They recently held consultations with teacher organizations and experts on detailed measures. A Ministry of Education official said, "Situations can vary depending on students' psychological state, gender, and other factors. In cases related to sexual violence, personnel assisting the student will be present during the interview, but sometimes the student may want the investigation to be conducted independently from their perspective," and added, "The decision on teacher accompaniment should be made on-site."
Regarding the effectiveness of the dedicated investigator system, the official said, "Teachers face many difficulties during the school violence handling process, but improving the system to address the most challenging parts for teachers is exactly what case handling is about," and added, "We believe that properly implementing the dedicated investigator system protects teachers, and teacher organizations agreed on this point."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
