The Ministry of Education announced on the 18th that it has prepared related response measures to prevent tragedies like the death of an elementary school student in Daejeon from recurring.
Regarding the so-called 'Haneuli Act (Amendment to the Education Officials Act),' the Ministry of Education decided to establish policies that distinguish between 'high-risk teachers' who pose harm to others and 'teachers with general psychological difficulties.'
The Haneuli Act includes measures to urgently separate high-risk teachers. In this context, 'high-risk teachers' are defined as those who pose harm to colleagues or others, and actions will be taken accordingly. Teachers with general psychological difficulties, excluding high-risk cases, will receive counseling and treatment, implementing a 'two-track support' system.
Additionally, legal grounds will be established to allow for the urgent separation of students and high-risk teachers in emergency situations, and for the relevant education office to dispatch an emergency response team.
Accordingly, the Haneuli Act is expected to include provisions to urgently separate teachers who find it significantly difficult to perform their duties normally from the educational field, and to allow measures such as involuntary leave through the 'Teacher Job Performance Suitability Committee.' Previously, the 'Teacher Illness Review Committee' reviewed sick leave, but rules varied by metropolitan and provincial education offices. Going forward, this role will be taken over by the Teacher Job Performance Suitability Committee, which will review not only sick leave but also reinstatement.
To support the mental health of all teachers, a customized psychological testing tool for teachers will be distributed in the first half of this year to enable self-diagnosis, and psychological counseling and treatment will be supported through 32 Education Activity Protection Centers nationwide and affiliated institutions. Along with this, through amendments to the 'Teacher Status Act,' education superintendents will be required to implement teacher mental health promotion projects and establish cooperative systems with medical institutions. During teacher training stages, teacher aptitude and personality tests will be strengthened to require passing at least twice.
In addition, the Ministry of Education plans to expand CCTV installation focusing on blind spots within schools and increase the number of School Police Officers (SPO) in cooperation with the National Police Agency. For first and second-grade elementary students participating in Neulbom School, the principle of 'face-to-face handover and accompanying home return' will be established, strengthening safety from within the school to the handover to guardians. Support for personnel assisting students during their return home will also be enhanced to ensure students are safely protected even within the school during their commute.
Lee Ju-ho, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education, said, "I am deeply saddened by the occurrence of an incident that should never happen in schools, which should be the safest places," and added, "The Ministry of Education will do its utmost to create schools where our students can live with peace of mind."
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