By Harith A.R.
Edited by Fasihah Zulkifli
Trigger Warning: Mention of Suicide
SOUTH KOREA, 10 September 2023: A mass protest was held on 4th of September 4, 2023, joined by a total of 200,000 protesters and around 50,000 teachers, stating “nothing had changed in the educational field.”
It was to become a wake-up call for the country to do better educational reform that could help protect the rights of teachers from being harassed and oppressed by the unjust system.
The protest happened as South Korea delivered the shocking news of a 23-year-old teacher committing suicide due to a highly stressful working environment after only 2 years of teaching in July 2023.
In the years between 2018 and 2023, the country saw a worrying trend of teachers who ended their lives because of the constant harassment from parents and children, mistreatment from upper management, and teachers’ heavy workload.
Teachers are the fundamental part of all forms of society, yet they are attacked on all fronts. The protest is to create awareness over mistreatment by the parents and students, as some are accused of child abuse for disciplining the students.
Many teachers are burdened with the extreme stress of being reported by angry parents as they misuse the law of child abuse, and there is no specific law that can protect the teacher. This continued for too long because of the government's inaction in improving the regulations, and eventually teacher suicide sparked the movement itself.
The government authorities are trying to appeal to the demands made by the protesters, acknowledging their complaints. The ministry said that “the teachers’ plea is heard, and a comprehensive plan to protect the teaching rights and improve the unreasonable system will be implemented.” ***
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