KTEWU, School Principals on Collision Course

The chasm in the education community, sparked earlier by the National Education Information System (NEIS) plan and the death of school principal Suh Seung-mok, continues to be widened in May.

Despite the appeal issued by Yun Deok-hong, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education, and education commissioners in 16 major cities nationwide on May 2, the Korea Teachers and Educational Workers Union (KTEWU) and school principals are now gearing up to make their cases against each other through shows of will and outdoor rallies, raising the concern over a head-on clash.

▽KTEWU, School Principals Show No Sign of Backing Down

While the education ministry keeps silence on KTEWU`s proposal asking the government to hold a discussion and conduct a survey on NEIS, the union now says that chairman Won Young-man will begin a hunger strike if the ministry fails to give an answer to the proposal by May 5.

It also plans to issue a teachers` declaration calling for the withdrawal of NEIS plan by May 12 and put the issue on a vote among its members. Depending on the result, it is set to launch aggressive actions to deliver its message, which might affect schools` class schedules.

˝While the government NEIS plan is expected to cause wide-spread chaos in the school system, the government continues to keep mum on our proposal concerning a public opinion survey,˝ said KTEWU, adding it will have to resort to aggressive actions if the government remains uncooperative.

The Council of Primary, Middle and High School Principals, an organization comprising school principals nationwide, is set to hold a large-scale outdoor rally in Seoul on May 11. The council plans to call for tough government actions against what they see illegal activities of radical teachers during the rally, as well as exhibit its determination on key issues of contention.

˝We are investigating some cases in which KTEWU teachers allegedly threatened school principals not to attend the rally,˝ said Lee Seung-won, principal of Yeongdeung-po High School and director at the council.

▽Chasm Widened

KTU is putting pressure on high-hand school policies, seeing the latest confrontation result from the authoritative manners of principals. It recently issues a statement opposing the move to enact the Korea Samrak Education Act, a proposed bill aimed to allow the government or local authorities to provide support for the Korea Samrak Education, an organization comprising retired school principals.

˝Discussion on the bill must be stopped at once since it not only offers privilege to retired principals but also is against the principal of impartiality compared to other retired teachers,˝ KTEWU maintained.

The union also said that it would continue its campaign for a new election system, insisting school principals should be elected through teachers` votes and approved by a school operating committee comprising parents and local leaders. School principals are vehemently opposing the idea.

▽Minister`s Arbitration Fails

Deputy Minister Yun earlier met with Chairman of KTU Won and other officials in an effort to narrow differences on the NEIS plan, but the talks failed facing KTU`s vehement opposition.

He also met some KTU members, teachers at the Korea Teachers Organizations Federation and parents to discuss ways to end the confrontation. The meeting, however, only served to confirm the wide differences between the two sides.

Most recently, Yun issued on May 2 an `appeal to the public and the education community`, a statement aimed to fill the chasm within the education community, jointly with 16 school commissioners` organizations nationwide, a move that also failed to produce any tangible outcome.

˝Students are the victim of the ongoing confrontation and people are losing faith in our school system,˝ said Jung Jin-gon, professor at Hanyang University. ˝KTU has to show respect to the law and institutions as things change, and school principals, for their part, must become more democratic in school operations so as to avoid confrontation with KTEWU.˝

Seong-Chul Hong sungchul@donga.com