Teachers Cite Job Stress as Classroom Complaints Surge

As parental complaints escalate in schools, teachers are increasingly experiencing job stress and feelings of helplessness. This situation extends beyond individual teacher difficulties, with voices suggesting it's linked to the public education system's failure to function properly. According to a survey by the Korea Educational Development Institute, seven out of ten elementary school teachers worry about parental complaints, and about half experience difficulties in their relationships with parents.

While South Korea's high school student truancy rate is low according to OECD reports, student satisfaction with lessons is poor. Three out of ten high school students sleep during class, and one out of two are unable to concentrate. This is analyzed as being due to students' perception of lower educational efficacy compared to private education. A national social survey also indicated that satisfaction with teaching methods among middle and high school students was lower than satisfaction with peer relationships or teacher relationships.

On the front lines of education, there are calls for practical measures to restore education's core function, rather than strengthening disciplinary actions, to regain public education's efficacy. An official from a teachers' group stated that robust support systems at the school and education office levels are needed so teachers do not have to bear the brunt of complaints and lawsuits alone. Education experts advise that policy focus should expand beyond 'student attendance' to 'whether students are actually learning and growing at school.' In a situation where job satisfaction among teachers is declining and conflicts with parents are intensifying, the supplementation and strengthening of field-oriented support measures by education authorities are becoming a key challenge for the normalization of public education.