School teachers stage a large rally in central Seoul on Aug. 12, 2023, calling for enhanced rights. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Aug. 17 (Korea Bizwire) — Students at the elementary to high school levels will be removed from their classrooms or have their mobile phones confiscated if they are disruptive during class, the education ministry said Thursday.
The new class policy will go into effect in the upcoming second semester under a new set of education rules aimed at shoring up teachers’ rights and authority, according to the ministry.
Teachers’ call for protection from abusive parents and students has gained public attention after a 24-year-old teacher killed herself at an elementary school in southern Seoul last month after having had a hard time dealing with parents over a school violence case.
Under the new rules, scheduled to go into force Sept. 1, teachers at elementary, middle and high schools will be entitled to confiscate students’ mobile phones or other disruptive belongings if they refuse to obey the ban on mobile phone use during class.
Teachers will also be allowed to use physical force to restrain disruptive students during classes or kick them out of the classroom and ask school principals to take disciplinary action against them.
Currently, any form of physical punishment for students is prohibited under the Ordinance of Student Rights, leaving teachers exposed to the risk of classroom violence by students but unable to respond physically.
The new rules also require teachers or parents to make advance appointments for a meeting with each other.
In the event of verbal abuse or physical violence by parents, teachers will be able to terminate their meetings with parents, and they will also be allowed to refuse to meet with parents outside of work hours.
“These new rules are expected to become a new opportunity to bring back classroom order and make schools a balanced place for all students and teachers,” Education Minister Lee Ju-ho said.
(Yonhap)
