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7 in 10 teachers say students' cell phones disrupt class

Published: 12 May. 2025, 14:36

Students from a middle school in Seoul use their mobile phones while leaving school grounds on Nov. 4, 2024. [YONHAP]

Seven in 10 teachers say students’ mobile phone use disrupts their classes, according to a nationwide survey released Monday.

The Korean Federation of Teachers’ Associations (KFTA) published the results of a survey of 5,591 teachers across kindergarten, elementary, middle, high school and university that was conducted from April 29 to May 7 ahead of Teachers’ Day on May 15.

The findings show that a significant number of teachers find students’ mobile phone use infringes on their authority.

A total of 66.5 percent of respondents said they had experienced class interruptions due to phone alarms or ringtones. Another 34.1 percent said they had faced verbal arguments or abusive language when trying to stop students from using their phones. About 6.2 percent, or 345 teachers, said they had been physically assaulted in such incidents.

A large majority of respondents also expressed concern over the growing number of teachers early in their careers leaving the profession. Ninety percent said the trend was serious, with 51.6 percent calling it “very serious” and 38.4 percent saying it was “somewhat serious.”

The most commonly cited reason for the exodus was infringement of teachers’ authority with a 40.9 percent response rate, followed by declining social perception of the profession with 26.7 percent and low pay relative to the workload at 25.1 percent.

To retain younger teachers, 37.3 percent of respondents said the government needs to introduce stronger legal and institutional protections for teachers. Another 34.8 percent called for improvements in pay and allowances.

A total of 576 elementary, middle and high school teachers with less than 10 years of experience left the profession between March 2023 and February 2024 — the highest figure in five years — according to government data.

A report from the Korean Educational Development Institute published in December of last year found that 59.1 percent of elementary teachers with less than five years of experience said they were considering quitting, up from 39.7 percent in 2021.

“There is an urgent need to protect teachers’ authority and improve the overall education environment,” a KFTA official said. “The National Assembly and government must work together to ensure teachers can focus on their students and schools can fulfill their core responsibilities as educational institutions.”

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY LEE BO-RAM [[email protected]]