On Monday, Seoul witnessed a gathering of 50,000 educators demanding the safety of their rights and advocating for lawful regulation regarding overbearing dad and mom. Associated to this protest, the nation has seen an increase in educators succumbing to suicide as a result of extreme strain.
The problem of extreme parental intrusion and calls for has gained important prominence following the tragic suicide of a young teacher in July. Official statistics from South Korea reveal that over the past six years, roughly 100 public faculty lecturers have taken their very own lives, with half of them instructing in elementary faculties.
The South Korean government has been striving to reveal future authorized oversight for this problem. As an example, the nation’s president, by way of their workplace, urged officers to address this problem. Authorities representatives have additionally tried to preemptively quell the uproar by promising authorized measures to deal with this concern.
The Ministry of Schooling has not remained passive on this regard and has dedicated to establishing legal frameworks whereas additionally stopping the potential for punishing lecturers for minor issues, for which they’re presently penalized. The Ministry has shaped a working group to develop such a framework, though particular timelines have but to be introduced.
College-based threats and bullying symbolize a prevalent problem throughout the academic sphere. In February of this 12 months, the South Korean authorities introduced a major coverage shift, stipulating that admissions functions to larger schooling establishments should now embody disclosures regarding instances of bullying. This improvement has, in flip, intensified the strain on educators as dad and mom demand the expungement of their youngsters’s transgressions from educational information.
Because the protests commenced, South Korean authorities formally cautioned educators in regards to the legal consequences and disciplinary actions that may be imposed on protesters, with the best potential penalties together with felony expenses. Two days previous to this demonstration, roughly 200,000 lecturers gathered close to the Nationwide Meeting constructing in Seoul, demanding extra stringent authorized devices to safeguard their human rights.
Based on the World Well being Group, South Korea displays one of many highest suicide rates amongst developed nations, with greater than 20 people per 100,000 folks taking their very own lives.
