Korean Teachers Victimised for Fighting Government Policies
Koreans demonstrating against South Korea’s involvement in the Iraq War
74 members of the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union are being vitimised for taking part in anti-government activities
18 of the teachers face the sack and the others face periods of suspension for violating Korea’s laws which forbid teachers to take collective action or engage in political protest. The teachers had signed petitions from their unions against the government’s policy of highly competitive testing which forces students into competition with one another. They also criticised the rising costs of private educatoion and the government’s anti-democratic nature.
In the past teachers have had pay docked for taking part in protest actions but this is the first time since the union’s foundation in 1989 that so many teachers have been dismissed.
November 22 2009 08:17 pm | General