Gov`t, Teachers to Clash Over Payment of Incentives

The government is seeking to take legal measures against teachers who attempt to evenly divide incentives, something which is expected to face strong resistance from the Korean Teachers and Educational Workers’ Union.

An official from the Education, Science and Technology Ministry said yesterday, “We have notified metropolitan and provincial offices of education that the government will punish teachers who divide incentives evenly or schools that pay incentives to teachers depending on period of employment. For schools or teachers who do not follow this advice, metropolitan and provincial offices of education will find out who and punish them.”

The ministry based its announcement on the 56th clause of the Government Officials Act and the second item of the seventh clause of the regulation on payment for government officials.

Last year a teacher who forced students to boycott a national skills assessment test was punished. Similarly, teachers who encourage colleagues to divide incentives evenly or principals to provide incentives for teachers based on number of years worked will also face punishment.

The ministry said teachers who arbitrarily divide incentives evenly could face criminal prosecution since they are considered to be interfering with the work of the committee in charge of determining incentives for teachers and educational authorities.

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