Dongdaemun District Launches Pilot Project Assigning Retired Teachers as First Point of Contact for School Civil Complaints

A Preventive Model for Mediating Complaints Beyond Post-Incident Support for Teachers’ Rights

On August 24, Dongdaemun District in Seoul (Mayor Chongmin Choi) announced that it will launch a pilot project called "School Complaints Communication Officer," which assigns retired teachers to initially handle complaints submitted to schools, instead of immediately forwarding them to teachers.

Chongmin Choi, Mayor of Dongdaemun District, is taking a commemorative photo after signing a business agreement. Provided by Dongdaemun District Office.

On August 21, Dongdaemun District signed a business agreement for the pilot project "School Complaints Communication Officer for Establishing the Right Educational Environment and Protecting Teachers' Rights" with the Dongbu Office of Education (Superintendent Kim Sunja) and the Korea Labor Force Development Institute for the Aged (President Kim Sooyoung).

The "School Complaints Communication Officer" model assigns retired teachers—with educational experience and counseling capabilities—to each school, entrusting them with the initial receipt of complaints. Before any complaint reaches a teacher, the officer listens to the details, guides the necessary procedures, and mediates conflicts at an early stage, with the core aim of allowing teachers to focus on their educational activities.

The pilot project will be run for four months from September to December at five elementary and middle schools in Dongdaemun District. One retired teacher will be assigned to each participating school, and the total project budget of 55 million won will be covered by 40 million won in education expense subsidies provided by Dongdaemun District and 15 million won from the Korea Labor Force Development Institute for the Aged. Dongdaemun District will be responsible for funding and regional cooperation, the Dongbu Office of Education for selecting participating schools and overseeing on-site operation, and the Korea Labor Force Development Institute for the Aged for personnel and operational support leveraging its expertise in senior employment projects.

Dongdaemun District clarified that this project differs in nature from the "Teachers' Rights Protection Team" under the Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education. While the "Teachers' Rights Protection Team" mainly supports schools and teachers after serious complaints or violations of teachers' rights have occurred—serving as a reactive measure—the "School Complaints Communication Officer" model is preventative, with retired teachers permanently assigned to mediate issues from the outset, as soon as complaints are raised.

This initiative was proposed by the Dongbu Office of Education and is being promoted with the participation of Dongdaemun District and the Korea Labor Force Development Institute for the Aged. Although complaint response teams are operated within schools, there have been ongoing concerns that teachers often have to handle complaints directly themselves, signaling a need for additional support.

Dongdaemun District plans to review the results of the four-month pilot operation, including the complaint handling process, teachers' work burden, and school and parent satisfaction, to discuss the future direction of the project.

Mayor Chongmin Choi stated, "It is important for the local community to resolve school complaints together before conflicts escalate, rather than placing the burden on any one side. I hope that the experience of retired teachers, who are well-versed in the realities of the educational field, will serve as a bridge of communication between parents and schools and help create an environment where teachers can focus more on educating children."

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