Serious Reliance on Contract Teachers for Specialized Subjects at National Technical High Schools

70% Contract Teachers... Average Tenure Only 2.2 Years
Jinwook Jung: "Increase Full-Time Recruitment, Improve Contract Teacher Conditions"

Jinwook Jung, member of the Democratic Party of Korea.

There have been concerns that the reliance on contract-based teachers for specialized subjects such as electrical engineering and mechanical engineering at national technical high schools under the Ministry of SMEs and Startups is threatening both the stability and the qualitative growth of education.

According to an analysis by Assemblyman Jinwook Jung (Gwangju Dongnam) of the Democratic Party of Korea, based on materials submitted by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups for the National Assembly audit on October 12, 65% of all newly appointed teachers since 2022 have been hired on a contract basis. In particular, 74.6% of specialized subject teachers, who are essential for cultivating skilled talent for industrial sites, were employed under contract positions.

The average length of service for contract teachers at three national technical high schools-Gumi Electronics Technical High School, Busan Mechanical Technical High School, and Jeonbuk Mechanical Technical High School-was found to be only about 2.2 years. Such frequent turnover undermines educational continuity in specialized fields that require skilled instruction aligned with evolving industrial technologies, making it difficult to accumulate systematic expertise. This inevitably creates structural limitations in nurturing the skilled talent needed for future industrial sites.

Assemblyman Jung pointed out, "In technical high schools where expertise is crucial, the fact that contract teachers serve on average just over two years constitutes a structural problem that seriously undermines educational stability." He emphasized, "The Ministry of SMEs and Startups should actively cooperate with the Ministry of Education to promote the stable recruitment of full-time teachers, and promptly establish institutional support measures to improve the treatment of contract teachers and encourage long-term employment."