[Education in Korea Loses Its Way] ④ Disappearance of Respect... 95% of Discouraged Teachers Say "Public Education Has Collapsed" [Exclusive]

Survey of 3,000 Teachers on the Collapse of Schools
The Crisis of Public Education and the State of Teachers’ Authority
Entrance Exam-Focused Private Education
Causes Collapse of Public Education and Infringement on Teachers’ Authority

A recent survey has found that private education focused on entrance exams?exemplified by phenomena such as the 'age 7 exam' and 'elementary school medical school prep classes'?directly contributes to the collapse of public education and also leads to infringements on teachers' authority.

Asia Economy and the Elementary School Teachers’ Union (Elementary Union) conducted a survey titled "The Crisis of Public Education and the State of Teachers’ Authority" from April 29 to May 12, targeting 3,098 elementary school teachers nationwide. Among the respondents, 95% (2,942 teachers) stated that "public education has collapsed."

Elementary school teachers expressed the opinion that they are not properly respected by any group?whether students, parents, administrators (principals and vice principals), or society at large. The percentage of teachers who felt "respected by administrators" was 47.6%, while only 40.6% felt respected by students. The figures were even lower for parents (19.2%) and society (11.9%), indicating that the majority of teachers feel they are not respected by parents or by society.

Looking at the details, 49.1% of teachers said they are "not respected by parents," nearly double the percentages for students (23.8%) and administrators (25.6%). When asked whether they had experienced or witnessed infringements on teachers’ authority?such as verbal abuse or unreasonable complaints?within the past year, three out of four teachers (75.0%) answered "yes."

Teachers cited "being burdened with unreasonable complaints and protests from parents (89.2%, multiple responses allowed)" as the moment when they most acutely felt the collapse of public education. As parental interference in school life has become more frequent, cases of infringements on teachers’ authority have increased, resulting in a one-sided structure in which teachers are forced to bear the responsibility. Additionally, 41.4% of respondents stated that "schools do not actively address infringements on teachers’ authority."

Why has public education collapsed? The most commonly cited cause (multiple responses allowed) was "excessive demands from parents and society" (78.9%). This was followed by the weakening of teachers’ authority (78.0%), changes in students’ attitudes and behavior (32.3%), excessive administrative work (22.6%), and entrance exam-focused education (19.8%).

In a survey on perceptions of entrance exams, one in three teachers (35.6%) said that "there is in fact pressure to prepare for entrance exams even at the elementary school level." The proportion of parents whom teachers perceive as relying on private education was 87.6%, indicating that most parents are sending their children to private academies. In this context, teachers reported feeling burdened by demands from parents for things like advanced learning, which affects their ability to manage classroom instruction.

When asked whether "the learning objectives demanded by students and parents?such as private education and advanced learning?often conflict with school education," 44.6% of respondents answered "yes." Additionally, 67.8% of respondents believed that the entrance exam-oriented educational culture is distorting elementary school education.

As entrance exam preparation starts as early as elementary school, education has become increasingly dependent on private academies focused on college admissions, while schools are relegated to the role of "daycare centers," and teachers are reduced to "babysitters." This is seen as a key factor in the collapse of public education.

Parents’ expectations and demands have gone beyond simply expressing opinions and are now directly affecting classroom management and teachers’ authority. As entrance exam-centered thinking has infiltrated even the elementary level, teachers’ professionalism and the fundamental function of public education are being increasingly undermined.

In the survey, teachers were asked to fill in the blank for the statement "A teacher is ___." In this open-ended question, about half (1,465 out of 3,098) gave answers that implied "babysitter." Specifically, 960 wrote "caregiver," 230 wrote "babysitter," and 275 wrote "child caretaker." In addition, 55 teachers answered "emotional trash can," 31 wrote "punching bag," 34 said "target of abuse," and 21 even described themselves as "slave."

When collecting examples of declining teachers’ authority experienced in the classroom, responses ranged from various unreasonable requests?such as "catch mosquitoes" or "write my child’s diary"?to witnessing or experiencing violence and verbal abuse from students and parents.

A teacher from Gyeonggi Province said, "I saw a student slap a teacher in the face." A homeroom teacher in Busan reported, "One of my students got hurt while playing alone, and the student’s parent filed a false complaint, accusing me of hiding and manipulating the incident because I didn’t identify the supposed perpetrator. It was distressing." A teacher in Daegu said, "A parent dissatisfied with the school’s awards told me, 'What’s the point of talking to the homeroom teacher? I’ll go to the teachers’ office and talk.' Hearing that left me feeling empty."