Busan Metropolitan Office of Education Establishes After-School Student Safety Measures in Schools

After-school Students to Be Escorted Only to Pre-designated Guardians...
Notification System to Be Fully Introduced in All Elementary Schools
Status of Teachers Suffering from Depression and Psychological Distress to Be Assessed...
Healing Program Support Extended to All Student Care-related Occupations

The Busan Metropolitan Office of Education recently expressed deep condolences to the bereaved families regarding the incident that occurred at an elementary school in Daejeon and announced after-school student safety measures on the 11th.

On the 10th, the Busan Metropolitan Office of Education held an emergency countermeasure meeting chaired by Acting Superintendent Choi Yun-hong with relevant departments.

At the meeting, the Busan Metropolitan Office of Education decided to strengthen safety not only for staff but also for children by requiring at least two staff members to work after 6 p.m. at all elementary schools. Additionally, after-school students will be safely escorted only to pre-designated parents or academy vehicles.

Currently, kindergartens in the Busan area have two or more staff working until 8 p.m., and elementary schools have two or more staff until 6 p.m. However, after 6 p.m., most elementary schools have only one staff member on duty. Last year, there were 65 elementary schools with students remaining after 6 p.m., and it was found that staff at these schools had some concerns and fears regarding safety.

To ensure that at least two staff members work at all elementary schools after 6 p.m., the Busan Metropolitan Office of Education has instructed principals to assign additional staff starting from the 11th until additional safety assistants are hired.

The Busan Metropolitan Office of Education plans to increase the number of safety assistants promptly to raise the number of staff working after 6 p.m. within schools.

Furthermore, by the first half of this year, the Busan Metropolitan Office of Education will expand the target of the notification system to include all after-school elementary students. The notification system, which informs parents of students' movements, is currently used only for care classroom students. They also plan to thoroughly investigate whether the currently implemented notification system is functioning properly.

The Busan Metropolitan Office of Education will also assess the current status of teachers suffering from depression or mental distress caused by it. Additionally, a system will be introduced whereby principals actively request cooperation from healing centers to provide psychological counseling and healing for teachers experiencing psychological distress such as depression.

The healing program currently implemented for teachers will also expand its participation scope. Due to budget shortages, only 83% of teachers who applied for the healing program last year were able to use it, but this year, with the cooperation of the city council and additional budget secured through supplementary budgets, all applicants will be able to participate. In the future, not only teachers but also those who directly teach, guide, or care for students (such as care specialists, English conversation instructors, sports instructors, etc.) will be allowed to participate in the program if they wish.

Acting Superintendent Choi Yun-hong said, “We were deeply shocked and very saddened that something that should never happen in the safest schools occurred. Although this measure is not perfect, we will implement it first and continuously improve it by gathering opinions from the field and experts.”

Busan Metropolitan City Office of Education.