[Exclusive] Sick Leave Rates Among Elementary, Middle, and High School Teachers Surge Only for Elementary Teachers

Proportion of Middle and High School Teachers Decreases
Elementary School Teachers Face More Parental Complaints
"Rate of Suspected Abuse Reports Much Higher"

More than 60% of teachers on medical leave last year were elementary school teachers, while the rate of medical leave among middle and high school teachers decreased, showing a sharp increase only among elementary school teachers.

According to data from the office of Assemblywoman Kang Kyung-sook of the Party for National Innovation on the 18th, out of a total of 1,973 teachers who took medical leave last year, 1,272 were elementary school teachers, accounting for 64.4%. Middle school teachers accounted for 20.9% (412 teachers), and high school teachers accounted for 14.6% (289 teachers).

The total number of teachers on medical leave decreased from 1,901 in 2019 to 1,182 in 2021, before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, it has increased annually since then (1,313 → 1,447 → 1,973), with elementary schools leading this trend. In the same year, the number of elementary school teachers on medical leave decreased from 1,085 in 2019 to 687 in 2021, then doubled to 1,272 within three years.

The proportion of elementary school teachers on medical leave also showed an upward trend. The share of elementary school teachers on medical leave increased by 7.3 percentage points, from 57.1% in 2019 to 64.4% last year. In contrast, the share of middle school teachers decreased by 1.5 percentage points from 22.4% to 20.9%, and high school teachers decreased by 5.9 percentage points from 20.5% to 14.6% during the same period.

The prominent increase in medical leave among elementary school teachers can be attributed to their greater exposure to parental complaints.

Jung Hye-young, spokesperson for the Seoul Teachers' Union, said, "In middle and high schools, complaints decrease because the focus is on grades and college entrance exams, but in elementary schools, complaints continue from daycare and kindergarten." She added, "There is a correlation between the trend of infringement on teachers' authority and teachers' medical leave." Jung also noted, "The rate of reports suspected of child abuse is much higher in elementary schools," and added, "Complaints about unqualified teachers may also be more frequent at a similar rate."