10 Years After Sewol Ferry, How Much Have Schools Changed... Teachers Say "Classes Needed to Remember the Tragedy"

Ministry of Education Announces Multiple Safety Plans
Policies Like Survival Swimming Deemed "Ineffective"
Teachers Call for "Full Support"
Safety Accidents Inside and Outside Schools Persist, Increasing

How much has the education field changed in the 10 years since the April 16 Sewol ferry disaster? Although the education authorities have implemented various measures such as survival swimming and the establishment of safety subjects, the perceived effectiveness in classrooms appears to be low.

According to the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union on the 16th, an online survey was conducted from the 9th to the 14th targeting 960 teachers from nationwide kindergartens, elementary, middle, and high schools regarding teachers' perceptions of the Sewol ferry disaster. When asked, "Do you think the education authorities and schools support and guarantee classes related to the disaster?" 76.4% answered "No." About 96% of the responding teachers said that remembering the disaster and preventing its recurrence requires related classes.

Furthermore, more than half of the teachers expressed negative opinions about detailed policies such as the establishment of safety subjects, operation of safety weeks, and expansion of mandatory legal training for teachers. Teachers suggested opinions such as "Comprehensive support is needed to improve the school education environment so that students and teachers can be safe" and "Rather than meaningless training completion, there is a need to freely conduct classes related to the disaster."

Immediately after the 2014 Sewol ferry disaster, the Ministry of Education established a comprehensive safety plan for the education sector and strengthened the system by preparing the "7 Standard Guidelines for School Safety Education" in 2015. Since then, the Ministry of Education introduced improvement measures through the 2020 "School Safety Accident Management Support Improvement Plan," including ▲ conducting a full survey of school safety status ▲ managing and tracking school safety accident data ▲ enhancing unit school safety plans ▲ expanding student-led safety activities.

In particular, the Ministry of Education introduced "survival swimming" education into the regular curriculum after the disaster. In 2017, the government, through the "Basic Plan for Promoting School Physical Education" jointly with 25 related ministries, expanded survival swimming education to all grades of elementary school. The Ministry of Education promised to make it compulsory starting in 2020, but it has been reported that each education office and school is facing difficulties in conducting classes due to infrastructure and management responsibility shortages such as facilities and budgets.

On April 16, 2020, the 6th anniversary of the Sewol ferry disaster, citizens visited the Sewol ferry memorial facility "Memory and Safety Exhibition Space" set up at Gwanghwamun Square in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

Since 2018, a "Safety" subject has been established as a regular course, and experience-centered safety education has been conducted to help students acquire crisis response skills. Prior to school trips, pre-safety education has been made mandatory, and all educational facilities are required to conduct and report facility safety inspections three times a year. Additionally, requirements for experiential learning and school trips have been strengthened, and schools operate memorial and safety weeks alongside National Safety Day (April 16). Mandatory legal training for safety-related teachers has also been expanded.

Although institutional strengthening has been made compared to the past, the effectiveness of safety measures felt in classrooms is still reported to be low. A secondary school teacher said, "In actual classes, external instructors come to schools to conduct safety education," adding, "However, when going on external experiential activities far away, a safety teacher should accompany, and separate supplementary systems should be supported."

In fact, safety accidents inside and outside schools are on the rise. According to the "2022 School Safety Accident Occurrence and Compensation Statistics" released by the School Safety Mutual Aid Association, 149,339 safety accidents occurred inside and outside schools in 2022, the highest since statistics began in 2009. In response, each education office has prepared its own safety measures. The day before, the Sejong City Office of Education announced a "Comprehensive School Safety Support Plan," including ▲ 15 hours of safety training for all staff ▲ distribution of disaster-type education and training manuals for school sites ▲ increased budget for school route safety guards.

On the afternoon of the 15th, one day before the 10th anniversary of the Sewol ferry disaster, Lim Tae-hee, Superintendent of Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education, is laying flowers at the 4.16 Memory Classroom of Danwon High School in Ansan, Gyeonggi-do.
Photo by Yonhap News

The education authorities also conveyed messages of remembrance on the day. Cho Hee-yeon, Superintendent of Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, said on Facebook, "We must stand closer to the sorrow to change the cruel reality and ensure that the same tragedy never repeats," adding, "We will strive more fiercely and steadily to create schools and societies that respect life and safety." Lim Tae-hee, Superintendent of Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education, also said the day before, "The Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education will ensure that such incidents never happen again," and "We will open a new future of life and safety beyond painful memories."