"To Prevent Classroom Disruptions"... Seoul Expands Response Team for Teacher Rights Protection

Budget for 2026 Academic Year Increased by 2.6 Times

The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education announced on March 5 that it will fully expand the operation of the "Emergency Classroom Safety SEM" initiative, which dispatches professional personnel when educational activities are disrupted.

In response to a rising number of incidents where teachers face verbal abuse, physical assault, and disruptions to classes, the Office has operated the "Emergency Classroom Safety SEM" program since August of last year, providing support for a total of 393 cases. As a result, the satisfaction rate among teachers was extremely high, with 98.6% responding that they were "satisfied or above."

Accordingly, the Office has increased this year's related budget to 831.6 million won, about 2.6 times more than the previous year's 315 million won, and plans to expand support.

The "Emergency Classroom Safety SEM" program for the 2026 academic year will consist of a total of 180 experts, including former teachers, counselors, and youth welfare workers. The standard support period will be extended from the previous two weeks to four weeks, and in principle, support will be provided for up to 15 hours per week. However, the program will be operated flexibly, taking into account the urgency and specific characteristics of each case.

Schools in need of support can apply after consulting with the Seoul SEM119 (Emergency Support Team for Protection of Educational Activities) at their respective district education support offices. As a rule, personnel will be assigned within two days of application to ensure swift assistance.

Superintendent Jung Keunsik stated, "We will further strengthen our initial response system so that teachers do not have to cope with crisis situations alone," adding, "We will continue to expand practical support that protects both classroom stability and students' right to learn."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.