This Semester, 513,000 Students Participate in Neulbom School
First Grade Participation Rate Drops from 83.4% to 79.8%
Government Deploys Over 7,200 Additional Staff to Support Student Dismissal
Participation in Neulbom School has decreased compared to last year following the death of an elementary school student in Daejeon. The government has stepped up management of Neulbom School and teachers in line with the new semester.
According to the Ministry of Education on the 10th, the number of participants in Neulbom School in the first semester of this year totaled 513,000, with 254,000 first graders (79.8%) and 259,000 second graders (74.5%), resulting in an average participation rate of 77.0%. This is a slight decrease compared to last year’s 83.4% participation rate, which was conducted only for first graders. The decline is interpreted as a result of increased concerns about student safety following the recent murder of an elementary school student at Neulbom School in Daejeon last month.
Neulbom School is a government program designed to address care gaps and reduce private education expenses by allowing elementary students to use a two-hour customized program free of charge after regular classes. Last year, the program was expanded from first graders to include second graders this year.
On the same day, the government held the “5th Livelihood Economy Inspection Meeting” at the Government Seoul Office to discuss measures to strengthen safety at Neulbom School. The Ministry of Education will apply the principles of “face-to-face handover and accompaniment during return home” at Neulbom School, and in addition to 1,200 Neulbom support managers and 6,834 Neulbom operational staff, about 7,200 additional personnel will be assigned to support students’ return home.
To prevent recurrence of the Daejeon Elementary incident, grounds have been established for suspension or exclusion from duty for teachers who are unlikely to perform their duties properly. The previously differently operated Sick Teacher Review Committees in each education office will be legislated as the “Teacher Duty Suitability Committee,” and counseling and treatment will be supported at centers such as the Education Activity Protection Center for teachers’ mental health. Since the Daejeon Elementary incident occurred while the student was moving outside the classroom, CCTV coverage in blind spots within schools will also be expanded.
Discussions are also underway to expand the deployment of School Police Officers (SPO) to ensure safety within schools. Four bills focusing on increasing the number and authority of SPOs have been proposed in the National Assembly. Currently, there are 1,133 SPOs, each responsible for about 10.7 schools, and approximately 11,000 additional officers would be needed to assign one SPO per school.
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