[Editorial] Protect teachers' rights

South Korean teachers have been confronting a growing number of unruly students and overprotective parents resorting to frivolous lawsuits over legitimate classroom interactions. No wonder, then, many teachers feel overstressed and under extreme pressure, some even reconsidering their choice of profession.

Against this backdrop, some 5,000 teachers and education university students took to the streets Saturday, calling for a set of measures to guarantee teachers’ rights and protect them from disruptive behaviors by students and parents.

At the rally, participating teachers cited a number of cases in which they were being attacked by violent students in the classroom and struggle with all sorts of complaints from parents, but remain powerless due to the absence of protection for teachers and lopsided education ordinances.

Amid the steady decline of teachers’ rights in the classroom, the rally was triggered by a tragic incident. A teacher, known only as a 23-year-old woman in charge of first graders at an elementary school in southern Seoul, apparently took her own life in a classroom last week. With no witnesses or note left behind, police launched an investigation to find the exact cause of her death.

In education circles and online communities, speculation swirled over the cause of her death, including the possibility that she had been under stress due to parents’ complaints about school violence. But the school denied all the allegations in a statement Thursday, saying there had been no report of school violence in her class.

Although the cause of the teacher’s death remains unknown, it was a serious incident that directly prompted teachers to join the rally and demand changes to an education environment that is far from conducive due to the alleged distorted law and regulations.

In response, President Yoon Suk Yeol on Monday instructed the government to devise comprehensive guidelines designed to protect teachers’ rights and enhance their authority, according to his spokesperson.

Yoon also called for a revision of the allegedly “unreasonable” education ordinances that infringe upon teachers’ rights. He apparently referred to the student human rights ordinance that was first enacted in 2010 and is now in effect in Seoul, Gyeonggi Province, Gwangju, North Jeolla Province, Jeju Island and South Chungcheong Province.

It was only in 2021 that corporal punishment by teachers was officially banned in a revised education law. But the student human rights ordinance now enforced by the regional education offices sets more extensive rules and allows for a variety of student actions, including rallies on school grounds and the freedom to choose their own hairstyles and clothing.

Given that students’ rights when today’s parents were students were widely ignored by teachers in the past, the ordinance to protect students’ human rights initially received praise. But the ordinance has brought about serious side effects. It is now the teachers who face problems and have their rights infringed on due to unruly and violent students -- a change that makes it difficult for teachers to run their classrooms and discipline students.

For instance, under the ordinance in question, teachers and schools cannot ban the possession and use of smartphones or electronic devices in the class. This has led to instances where students threatened to record the disciplinary actions of teachers with smartphones. Some parents also have their children go to school with voice recorders to capture what they view as teachers’ “verbal abuse.”

But it is often the students who are now turning violent and abusive. On Monday, an elementary school teacher was attacked by a third grader in Busan -- in the wake of two similar assault cases in Seoul and Incheon last month. Data shows that 1,133 teachers were subject to physical assault or attacks by students and parents between 2018 and 2022.

Meanwhile, 1,252 teachers were investigated following lawsuits and formal complaints filed by parents over alleged child abuse in the past five years. Most of the complaints against the teachers were dismissed, but it is alarming that nothing has been done to help those teachers who have to endure enormous pressure and stress over the investigations and parents’ lawsuits.

The government and education authorities are urged to take prompt measures and revise related rules to protect teachers’ rights. Teachers play a crucial role in preparing students for the future. But a bleak future awaits if teachers have to feel threatened and pressured by misbehaving students and thoughtless parents.