Teachers’ calls to be allowed to join political parties outside school are once again directed toward the political sphere.
Teachers’ organizations announced plans to submit party membership applications on October 21, but the relevant laws have not yet been amended.
The move was presented not as support for a particular political party, but as a demand to guarantee teachers’ political citizenship.
3-Line Summary
1. Teachers’ organizations announced plans for a party-joining action
2. Legal amendments related to party membership remain unfinished
3. The announced action and institutional change are different
Submission Announced for October 21; This Has Not Been Carried Out
The Alliance for Teachers’ Fundamental Political Rights, involving the Federation of Teachers’ Unions, the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union (KTU), and the Korean Federation of Teachers’ Associations (KFTA), among others, announced at a National Assembly press conference on October 1 that it would launch a large-scale party-joining action on October 21. The group presented a plan to submit party membership applications completed by teachers to political parties.
The alliance said it expects participation to reach several thousand people. However, this is the organization’s estimate and plan; the actual number of participants and the results of the application submissions have not been confirmed.
The organizations explained that this action is not intended to support a particular political party or politician, but is a legislative demand to guarantee teachers’ political citizenship, including the right to join political parties. Their position is that teachers’ professional duties inside schools should be distinguished from their activities as citizens outside schools.
Calls for Legal Amendments Were Also Raised During Political Meetings
Teachers’ fundamental political rights were also discussed during a National Assembly meeting on September 10. Ahn Min-seok, the superintendent of education of Gyeonggi Province, met successively with the leaders of the Democratic Party of Korea and the People Power Party and conveyed the position that the Political Parties Act and the State Public Officials Act need to be revised to guarantee teachers’ political basic rights, including the right to join political parties.
Representatives of the KFTA, the Federation of Teachers’ Unions, and the KTU also accompanied him at the meeting. People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok said that the issue of teachers joining political parties could be positively considered, while Democratic Party of Korea leader Kim Min-seok said he would listen broadly to the views of the education community and the public on educational issues.
However, the statements made at the meeting were not a confirmed announcement of legal amendments or the implementation of a system. Whether teachers can join political parties depends on how discussions over amendments to the Political Parties Act and the State Public Officials Act actually proceed.
The Demands Brought Together by Teachers’ Organizations Are Not Limited to Political Participation
The demands of the teachers’ organizations this time include not only fundamental political rights, but also amendments to the Child Welfare Act and education finance issues. The organizations participating in the Alliance for Teachers’ Fundamental Political Rights also announced a rally in front of the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, on October 9, saying they would call for improvements to systems related to teachers.
The demand for fundamental political rights is drawing attention because it is connected to other issues surrounding teachers’ educational activities. However, expanding political participation, protecting teachers’ authority, and reforming education finance are matters requiring separate legal and policy discussions. Rather than immediately interpreting the action announced for October 21 as institutional change, it is necessary to separately examine whether the National Assembly actually discusses and processes the relevant laws.
References
Tags #Teachers #TeachersFundamentalPoliticalRights #TeachersPoliticalRights #TeachersJoiningPoliticalParties #PartyMembership #TeachersUnion #KTU #KFTA #FederationOfTeachersUnions #PoliticalPartiesAct #StatePublicOfficialsAct #EducationPolicy