Ministry of Education Announces Substitute Workforce Support Following Bucheon Kindergarten Teacher's Death

Revision of the Early Childhood Education Act to Deploy Itinerant Teachers

Minister of Education: "Teachers Can Take Sick Leave Without Worry"

On June 16, the Ministry of Education announced follow-up measures related to the death of a private kindergarten teacher in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province.

On that day, the Ministry of Education unveiled the "Improvement Plan for Supporting Substitute Workforce for Kindergarten Teachers," which includes establishing a legal basis for deploying "itinerant teachers" to support classes during teacher absences, expanding support for sick leave at private kindergartens, and building a substitute workforce pool. These measures were introduced after the incident in February where a teacher at a private kindergarten in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, passed away after continuing to work despite having the flu and being unable to take leave.

National Teachers' Union

The Ministry of Education and metropolitan and provincial offices of education have put measures in place to ensure that education continues seamlessly, even when kindergarten teachers must leave urgently. According to the Korea Institute of Child Care and Education, the main reason why kindergarten teachers cannot use annual leave is that "it is difficult to find a substitute teacher" (29.9%).

Accordingly, the Ministry of Education plans to revise the Early Childhood Education Act to provide a legal basis for educational administrative agencies, such as the Early Childhood Education Promotion Institute, to employ itinerant teachers. These itinerant teachers will support classes at kindergartens when a teacher must leave urgently. In addition to itinerant teachers, instructors will be placed at hub institutions, such as independent public kindergartens, to support nearby kindergartens.

For private kindergartens, although government support is available for hiring substitute staff during teacher absences, there have been criticisms about inconsistencies, such as excluding sick leave from support or only assisting with sick leave that exceeds seven days, resulting in regional disparities. The Ministry of Education plans to improve the "Private Kindergarten Teacher Substitute Workforce Salary Support Program" by next year, so that support is available regardless of the duration or type of sick leave. The scope of support will also be gradually expanded to cover other types of teacher absences that may occur at kindergartens, such as official leave, special leave, and training, in addition to sick leave.

Stage-by-Stage Operational Model Proposal for Alternative Workforce Pool in Kindergartens under Metropolitan and Provincial Offices of Education. Ministry of Education

Efforts will also be made to establish a substitute workforce pool for kindergarten teachers. The metropolitan and provincial offices of education plan to create a substitute workforce pool for kindergarten teachers, enabling quick connections when emergency substitute staff are needed on site. The pool will actively utilize individuals who possess kindergarten teacher qualifications but are currently unemployed. The offices of education will recruit staff regularly (at least once a year) and manage the substitute workforce more strictly by checking disciplinary records and providing training for the recruited personnel.

To enhance the expertise of human resources management at private kindergartens, guidelines will be developed and distributed, and training will be provided for principals and teachers of private kindergartens regarding personnel systems and substitute workforce support programs. The offices of education will conduct at least one annual inspection of personnel and work management at private kindergartens, including compliance with infectious disease response manuals, and will operate a counseling and reporting center to support teachers with personnel grievances.

The Ministry of Education and the metropolitan and provincial offices of education plan to tailor these tasks to local circumstances, while providing meticulous support to prevent a recurrence of tragic incidents like the Bucheon teacher's death.

Minister of Education Choi Kyogyin stated, "With this plan, which we have developed in close cooperation with the metropolitan and provincial offices of education, we will ensure that every kindergarten teacher nationwide can rest without hesitation when they are sick, and that kindergartens can continue educational activities without interruption."

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