KTU Welcomes National Human Rights Commission Ruling on Temporary Teachers

Nearly 40 percent of all education workers in urban middle and high schools are irregular workers

The KTU welcomes and supports the decision recently made by the National Human Rights Commission. The Commission ruled that salary limitations for 'temporary' teaching positions is an infringement of teachers' rights.

On February 16th, the National Human Rights Commission ruled that the Busan Ministry of Education, which limits temporary teachers' salaries to 14th-class regardless of teaching experience, is failing to abide by Article 11 of the Constitution. It recommended that the ministry revise all regulations regarding discriminatory salary practices.

This follows a decision made May 24th, 2003, where the Commission recommended that education ministries revise guidelines which discriminate against temporary teachers in the areas of vacation salaries, legal holidays, and retirement grants. KTU, which has pressed governments to pay all teachers according to their years of teaching experience, welcomes both decisions, and demands follow-up measures.

The National Assembly is currently examining a bill on irregular workers. As of last August, the average monthly salary of an irregular worker was 1.15 million won, 62 percent of a regular worker's salary. The government is right to address this, but in schools, the number of temporary teachers continues to increase.

It is estimated that nearly 40 percent of all education workers in urban middle and high school are irregular workers. To improve the quality of the classroom experience, education ministries must secure regular education workers. However, they continue to create irregular teaching positions.

Governments should make a sincere effort to secure regular education workers. In situations where it can't help employing temporary teachers, it should end its discriminatory practices.

- We demand that every provincial and city education office revise its regulations in accordance with the recommendations of the National Human Rights Commission.

2006.3.1
Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union

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