'Together Talk Meeting' with Teachers and Parents
"Mental Health Assessments for New Teacher Appointments"
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Lee Ju-ho announced that, as a countermeasure to the murder of an elementary school student in Daejeon, a face-to-face handover system will be established for all students participating in Neulbom School. He also mentioned plans such as the legalization of the Teacher Illness Review Committee and mental health assessments during teacher appointments.
On the morning of the 14th, Deputy Prime Minister Lee held the 66th Together Talk Meeting at the Korea Educational Facilities Safety Institute in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, under the theme of "Mental Health Management and Safety Measures for School Members," where he met with parents, mental health experts, teachers, and supervisors and made these remarks. He stated, "We will establish a system where all first and second-grade students participating in Neulbom School are accompanied for face-to-face handover and escorted home, with helper personnel receiving the students and handing them over face-to-face to guardians or guardians' pre-designated proxies as a principle."
Deputy Prime Minister Lee continued, "To this end, we will expand the deployment of helper personnel such as volunteers, and in cases where students inevitably have to return home on their own due to guardian circumstances, the school and guardians will consult to guide the students to return home in the safest possible way."
He also conveyed that consultations with the education office have been completed to expand CCTV installation inside schools in areas with high student movement such as hallways, stairs, and around care classrooms. Regarding the expansion of CCTV installation in common areas within schools, he said that opinions from school members will be collected and necessary procedures such as legislation will be reviewed.
The government’s proposed bill will include measures allowing for administrative leave if a teacher is judged unable to perform normal teaching duties due to mental illness or other reasons. Deputy Prime Minister Lee elaborated, "As a countermeasure for this issue, the Ministry of Education is discussing various measures through the Haneul-i Act to allow administrative leave or other necessary actions for teachers who cannot perform normal teaching duties due to mental illness after going through specific procedures, and to intervene urgently if violent behavior is exhibited."
Furthermore, he added, "We will implement mental health assessments during new teacher appointments and conduct periodic psychological tests for current teachers. We are reviewing various measures and will promptly discuss and cooperate with the National Assembly to ensure these contents can be included in the Haneul-i Act."
Participants in the talk meeting suggested that the currently discussed name "Teacher Illness Review Committee" might give somewhat negative impressions and proposed alternative names such as "Job Suitability Review Committee." They also expressed opinions such as, "We agree on the need to separate teachers who pose a risk of harm to others, but a cautious approach is necessary during the screening process," and "It is necessary to distinguish between teachers with special cases like this incident and those experiencing general psychological difficulties due to educational activities and prepare separate countermeasures."
Deputy Prime Minister Lee responded, "These measures should not cause additional wounds to the teachers who quietly work on the ground," and added, "I believe a national consensus has been formed that the safety of children is paramount and that recurrence prevention is necessary following this incident. However, I will carefully discuss and reflect on the opinions given today to avoid problems caused by excessive legislation."
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