Three Teachers' Groups Reunite Before National Assembly After 1 Year and 4 Months

The three major teachers' organizations stood together in front of the National Assembly again after 1 year and 4 months. The Korean Federation of Teachers' Associations, the Teachers' Labor Union Federation, and the National Union of Teachers and Education Workers held a 'National Teachers' Rally Urging Revision of the Teaching Activity Protection Act' in front of the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, on the 9th. It was the second joint large-scale rally by the three organizations, following the 'Memorial Rally for the Jeju Teacher' last June. A total of 94 teachers' organizations and unions from across the country took part, with organizers estimating around 20,000 attendees.

Through a joint statement, participants urged, "The government and the National Assembly must establish judgment criteria that reflect the unique nature of schools and amend related laws, including the Child Welfare Act." At the rally, the teachers' organizations disclosed recent cases of malicious child abuse reports filed against them. One example involved a teacher who admonished a student for folding a paper airplane for a class assignment, and a principal, both of whom were sued on charges of child abuse.

The teachers demanded guarantees of their fundamental political rights, saying, "Teachers who teach students to participate in a democratic society are being denied their rights as citizens even outside of school."

In this regard, teachers also raised issues with the Ministry of Education's policy implementation approach. They criticized, "The Ministry of Education is pushing forward with the early dismissal policy for lower elementary grades at 3 p.m. and the introduction of essay- and written-response-based College Scholastic Ability Test assessments, without taking into account the realities of school sites."