[Inside Chodong] Concerns Over the Politicization of the Classroom

After experiencing intense ideological conflict between the left and right following World War II, the former West Germany in 1976 saw political and educational leaders from both conservative and progressive camps come together to create educational guidelines free from ideological or political bias. This led to the birth of the 'Beutelsbach Consensus,' which became the foundation of political education in Germany and is now regarded as a principle for civic and political education across Europe.

Although politicians and educational figures representing both conservatives and progressives gathered, it did not take long to establish the core principles. They agreed on three main points: the prohibition of coercion, which prevents teachers from imposing political viewpoints on students; the principle of controversy, which requires presenting both sides of contentious issues; and the primacy of the student’s interests, which emphasizes helping students make their own judgments. In essence, political education in schools was designed to present political phenomena as they are and allow students to evaluate them according to their own values.

In South Korea, the movement to expand teachers' basic political rights under the banner of "advancing political education" is gaining momentum. Three major teachers' organizations-the Korean Federation of Teachers' Associations, the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union, and the Teachers' Union Federation-are reportedly preparing a joint declaration.

They are gaining strength from the government's response. Starting with a campaign pledge by President Lee Jaemyung, the issue was adopted as a national agenda item, and recently, even the ruling party leader has pledged to pass the law as quickly as possible.

The argument that restricting teachers' freedom of political expression even in their private lives outside of educational activities is outdated is not entirely wrong. South Korea has various legal mechanisms in place-such as the Educational Officials Act, the Political Parties Act, the Political Funds Act, and the Public Official Election Act-to prevent teachers from joining political parties, donating to political funds, participating in election campaigns, or running for office.

However, the sequence is wrong. Before highlighting the reality that teachers are afraid to even "like" a post on social media and describing themselves as politically disenfranchised, it is more important to first examine whether classroom neutrality can be strictly maintained.

Parents are anxious. Even if political activities are permitted outside working hours, the relationship between teachers and students does not begin and end according to a set schedule. There are growing concerns that teachers' political leanings may be subtly revealed or that biased remarks in the classroom could influence students.

We have often witnessed cases where some teachers used their classes as a pretext to instill their own political views in students. The "Inheon High School incident" six years ago, in which a teacher was investigated by prosecutors for forcing politically biased behavior during a school marathon event, remains a subject of controversy.

The ruling party and teachers' organizations argue that South Korea is the only member of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) that prohibits teachers from joining or participating in political parties. However, most other countries legally prohibit teachers from engaging in political activities or spreading partisan opinions during working hours, and have disciplinary provisions in place.

The reason the 'Beutelsbach Consensus' is still referenced 50 years later is that it was not left as a mere declarative statement. The West German government, together with the education sector and political circles, established safeguards for each issue to ensure its observance and implementation.

This is also why the Ministry of Education has requested the National Assembly to carefully review the matter, citing concerns that students could be left in an unstable educational environment. If there are still differences among teachers' organizations regarding the scope of political rights to be guaranteed, a phased expansion-starting with allowing political donations-could be an alternative.

Above all, before advocating for the passage of laws to "secure teachers' basic rights," it is essential to first examine whether measures to protect students are in place. To prevent the "politicization of the classroom" from escalating into the collapse of teachers' authority and further into "classroom political strife," it is necessary to propose self-regulatory measures and gain the consent of the public and society.