Education Ministry Encourages Teachers to Open YouTube Accounts

A total of 934 teachers currently operate 976 YouTube channels. (image: Pixabay)

SEJONG, Jul. 10 (Korea Bizwire) — The Ministry of Education has decided to encourage teachers to have a second career as YouTubers.

However, the government will require teachers to get authorization when their YouTube channel creates revenue with advertising.

Furthermore, all channels that defame or damage the dignity or image of a teacher will be banned.

The ministry said Tuesday that it has prepared and distributed service guidelines to city and provincial education offices.

A total of 934 teachers currently operate 976 YouTube channels, according to the results of a government survey of kindergartens and primary and secondary school teachers in March and April of this year.

The ministry explained that the number of such teacher-YouTubers is expected to increase, and that related service guidelines have been prepared so that there will be no confusion in the criteria for acquiring profits from advertisements or having two jobs.

Most of all, the government will encourage education-related YouTube activities that have a public nature, such as supporting self-directed learning or sharing student education activities.

However, the government will not allow public servants to damage their dignity or interfere with their duties through YouTube, will and ban all of those channels.

When it comes to advertising revenue, which has been an issue for teachers’ YouTube activities, the government will not intervene, but teachers must obtain a permit when the minimum requirement for advertising revenue is reached.

Videos to be used in classes should not have any advertisements, as this could be a way for teachers to boost their views while making it mandatory for students to watch certain YouTube videos in class.

“Considering that ‘creators’ rank high in the most desired future jobs for elementary school students, the ministry thought teachers should be encouraged to produce content,” said Kang Jeong-ja, head of the Education Ministry’s teacher policy division.

M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)