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| People pay a silent tribute at Seoul Seo2 Elementary School in Seocho District, southern Seoul, Sunday, to a teacher who took her own life inside her classroom in July. Yonhap |
Educators' anger rises following deaths of 2 more teachers
By Jun Ji-hye
Tension is rising in the education sector as many teachers across the country are poised to gather for a large-scale rally Monday to commemorate the recent suicides of young teachers and call for better protection of their rights in the workplace.
On "the day of stopping public education," teachers are planning to visit Seoul Seo2 Elementary School in southern Seoul to commemorate a teacher in her 20s who ended her own life inside her classroom on July 18, allegedly after experiencing conflicts with parents over an incidence of violence involving some of her students.
The day marks the 49th day since the teacher's death. In many Buddhist traditions, 49 days is the total mourning period, as Buddhists believe that rebirth takes place within 49 days of death.
After the memorial ceremony, the teachers then plan to hold a rally in front of the National Assembly.
Teachers of some 30 schools nationwide, including Seoul Seo2 Elementary School, will not hold classes on the day but instead participate in the rally as principals have designated the day a discretionary holiday. Those in other schools are moving to participate by taking annual leave on that day.
Two more suicides of young teachers working at elementary schools in Seoul's Yangcheon District and in Gunsan, North Jeolla Province, were reported on Friday, further fueling teachers' anger. The exact causes of the deaths are yet to be disclosed.
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| A woman sheds tears while looking at a wall filled with condolence messages at an elementary school in Yangcheon District in Seoul, Sunday, as a teacher working there ended her own life on Thursday. Yonhap |
The teachers believe that their deceased colleagues were all under excessive stress due to demanding parents, calling for thorough investigations to unearth the facts behind their deaths.
The Ministry of Education has maintained its position that it will respond sternly to those who take annual leave and principals who designate the day as a discretionary holiday, saying those actions could be in violation of the National Public Service Law.
Education Minister Lee Ju-ho issued a letter of pleading on Sunday, requesting a reconsideration of the collective action.
"Our students need teachers. I ask all teachers to stay with their students," he said. "The education ministry and education offices of cities and provinces will make more efforts to protect teachers' rights so they can devote themselves to education activities without anxiety."
Contrary to the education ministry, several progressive superintendents of regional education offices, including Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education (SMOE) Superintendent Cho Hee-yeon, expressed their support for the teachers' planned collective action, adding to the tension and confusion.
SMOE will hold a memorial ceremony for the late teacher at Seoul Seo2 Elementary School at 3 p.m., and Cho will participate.
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| A banner supporting teachers' collective action, planned for Monday, hangs in the street near an elementary school in central Seoul's Yongsan District, Sunday, as teachers across the country prepare to stage a rally, with some planning to take annual leave, to commemorate young teachers who took their own lives recently and call for improved protection of their rights. Yonhap |
The teachers' planned rally is an extension of what they have been doing every Saturday since the July 18 death of the teacher at Seo2.
For the latest rally that took place last Saturday, thousands of teachers dressed in black gathered near the National Assembly. Organizers of the rally claimed some 200,000 teachers attended, which was the highest number since the weekly rallies began.
"We have raised our voices about teachers' rights every Saturday until the number of participants increased from 5,000 to 200,000, but we lost two more colleagues," said one organizer of the rally, referring to the latest suicides.
The participants also criticized the education ministry which threatened stern measures against the teachers' collective action.
A teacher with a seven-year career in Gyeonggi Province claimed, "True laws and principles are to punish those who drove teachers to death and to draw up proper measures to better protect teachers."
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| Teachers pay a silent tribute during a rally near the National Assembly in Seoul, Saturday, to commemorate their colleagues who recently took their own lives. Yonhap |
An official from the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union also said, "Taking yearly leave is within teachers' fundamental rights as long as it does not disturb their educational activities."
Slamming the ministry for "threatening teachers and infringing on the autonomy of schools," the union filed a complaint with the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials against Education Minister Lee Ju-ho, Aug. 28, accusing him of abusing his authority.
Rival parties showed mixed reactions. The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea criticized the ministry for "suppressing teachers," while the ruling People Power Party expressed concerns over the teachers' move.
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| Teachers hold leaflets calling for changes to education laws to better protect their rights, during a rally near the National Assembly in Seoul, Saturday. Yonhap |
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