Restore teachers’ authority urgently

A homeroom teacher was assaulted by a sixth grader last month in an elementary school in Yangcheon-gu, Seoul. The teacher needs three weeks of hospital care and treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder. The latest case has underscored the collapse of teachers’ authority, according to the Korean Federation of Teachers’ Association (KFTA). “We are appalled by a teacher being assaulted in front of other students. The affair is a serious violation of the teacher’s rights and should be dealt with severity,” it said.

The fall of teachers’ dignity and rights was highlighted after a rookie teacher was found dead in a school in the posh neighborhood of Seocho-gu, southern Seoul, in a suspected suicide. The school claimed that the 20-something teacher had not been dealing with school violence and that her first-grade classroom did not report any cases of violence.

But speculation that the young teacher coming under bullying and pressure from parents went viral on social media. The KFTA demanded a thorough investigation on whether her death had any relation to school bullying and complaints or other verbal assaults from parents.

The downfall of teachers’ authority can no longer be neglected because teachers are increasingly vulnerable to physical and verbal assaults from students and parents. According to KFTA, physical assault cases on teachers by students and parents numbered 1,249 from 2017 to last year. The number is just the cases that were formally reported and undergoing review at the teachers’ rights committee at schools. There could be even more unreported cases.

There is a limit in how teachers address and cope with unruly students. Disciplining or intervention in student fights can implicate teachers for violation of student rights or child abuse. If a teacher is reported to the authorities for child abuse, his or her dignity can hardly be restored even after they are found not guilty.

Teachers’ work satisfaction and morale have hit rock bottom. According to a survey by KFTA, contentment with the teaching profession, which was 67.8 percent in 2006, sank to 23.6 percent this year. A majority of teachers (96.2 percent) demand some form of immunity from criminal or civil charges to protect their legitimate education and disciplining activities.

In developed countries, the rights of students as well as the authority of teachers to educate students — and punish those who break the rules — are assured. The rights of both students and teachers must be upheld at schools. If teachers lose their dignity, the damage directly impacts students. The government and politicians must urgently come up with comprehensive measures to restore teachers’ authority before it is too late.