JeonGyoJo: "Field Experience Ordinance Places Responsibility on Schools, Burden on Teachers"

Schools Must Secure Support Personnel Themselves
"Ordinance Lacks Teacher Safety Measures, Increasing Burden on the Field"

Concerns are growing within schools over the 'Ordinance Amendment on Field Experience Learning' that the Gwangju Office of Education has announced for legislative notice. On May 13, the Gwangju branch of the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union (JeonGyoJo) criticized the ordinance, stating that "the ordinance only provides formal support for safety and lacks substantive measures."

Gwangju Office of Education

The amendment provides grounds for assigning support personnel during field experience learning, but the actual responsibility for deployment lies with the school principal. Regarding this, JeonGyoJo pointed out, "The provision that requires schools to secure personnel themselves does not take into account the realities on the ground," and added, "Although the Office of Education claims to have a plan to operate a personnel pool, this is not reflected at all in the ordinance."

They also identified as a problem the Office of Education's reluctance to explicitly designate the superintendent as the main entity responsible for operating the personnel pool. JeonGyoJo stated, "This position indicates that the Office of Education does not fully recognize the difficulties faced by schools."

JeonGyoJo also criticized the complete absence of any provisions regarding teacher safety in the ordinance. They stated, "Not only student safety, but also reducing the burden on teachers and ensuring their safety are crucial factors in operating field experience learning," and added, "An ordinance that omits support for teachers ignores the realities of the field."

With the number of schools postponing or canceling field experience learning on the rise, JeonGyoJo emphasized, "Before amending the ordinance, the Office of Education must reflect the voices from the field," and stressed the need for practical measures such as establishing a personnel pool and preparing safety measures for teachers.