[Sportschosun Reporter Lee Ji-hyun] As Netflix's series "Cheonggyoyuk" has become a social sensation right after its release, major changes to protect teachers' authority are also beginning in real-world classrooms, drawing attention.
Superintendent of the Gyeonggido Office of Education Ahn Min-seok officially launched the superintendent's direct Teacher Rights Protection Team on the 13th and announced that the nation's first Teacher Rights Protection Officer system would be introduced. The goal is to centralize responses to violations of teachers' rights and malicious complaints at the education office and build a one-stop support system that helps affected teachers from the moment an incident occurs through recovery.
The measure was prepared amid growing concern that teachers' educational activities are being constrained by recent violations of teachers' rights, indiscriminate child abuse reports, and malicious complaints. It is drawing even more attention as it comes at a time when Netflix's series "Cheonggyoyuk," which deals directly with the realities of schools, is making headlines every day.
The superintendent approved the operation plan for the Teacher Rights Protection Team as his second policy decision since taking office. The team is a superintendent-led body that oversees major cases of rights violations and policies to protect educational activities.
The most notable part is the nation's first Teacher Rights Protection Officer system. When a violation occurs, the officer is paired one-on-one with the affected teacher and takes charge of the entire process, from initial counseling and on-site response to fact-finding, legal advice, psychological support, and follow-up management.
If a serious case is reported, support staff made up of lawyers, supervisors, and counseling experts will be dispatched to the scene immediately so that teachers do not have to handle complaints and disputes alone. Cases received through the Teacher Rights Protection 119 Call Center and teacher organizations will also be assessed for urgency and severity before a rapid response is launched.
The Gyeonggi-do Office of Education also plans to publicly recruit 50 citizens, current and former teachers, and experts in law, counseling, mental health, and conflict mediation who have both interest in and expertise on teacher rights protection, and appoint them as Teacher Rights Protection Officers. They will be given authority to coordinate legal, administrative, counseling, and healing support across departments, along with treatment and incentives appropriate to their roles.
The policy carries added significance as it comes while Netflix's recently released series "Cheonggyoyuk" is building public empathy by focusing on school violence, the collapse of teachers' authority, and broken classrooms. The work highlighted the structural problems in education by portraying teachers struggling between ideals and reality, and after its release it reignited public debate over protecting teachers' rights.
olzllovely@sportschosun.com
This article has been translated by GripLabs Mingo AI.
