The Ministry of Education announced on December 31, 2024 that four bills under the Ministry of Education, including the “School Violence Prevention and Countermeasures Act” and the “Special Act on the Improvement of Teacher Status and Protection of Educational Activities,” passed the National Assembly plenary session. This revision of the bill aims to strengthen the protection of students and teachers and normalize public education.
Major revisions
1. Act on Prevention and Countermeasures against School Violence
Deepfake sexual crimes have been explicitly included in the definition of cyberbullying. This is intended to strengthen the protection of victimized students by regulating the act of creating and distributing synthetic materials that can cause sexual discomfort to students using artificial intelligence technology.
2. Special Act for the Improvement of Teachers’ Status and Protection of Educational Activities
A legal basis has been established to ensure that teachers can receive support for counseling and psychological treatment costs when they return to work after using sick leave or leave of absence due to interference with educational activities. This is to support teachers’ stable return to the educational field.
3. Special Act on the Promotion of Normalization of Public Education and Regulation of Pre-Education
The deadline for allowing advanced education in after-school programs in rural and fishing villages and urban low-income areas has been extended from February 2025 to February 2028. This is a measure to reduce the burden of private education costs on parents.
4. Local Education Finance Grant Act
The deadline for cost sharing for free high school education has been extended by three years, from December 31, 2024 to December 31, 2027.
Minister of Education Lee Joo-ho said, “This revision of the bill will contribute to strengthening the protection of students and teachers and reducing the burden of private education expenses on parents,” and expressed his expectation that it will be an opportunity to protect students from deepfake sex crimes in particular. In addition, the extension of the permission for advance education is a measure that takes into account the educational conditions of rural and fishing villages and low-income areas, and is expected to expand the role of public education.
However, in relation to the revision of the Local Education Finance Grant Act, the government expressed regret over the decision to extend the deadline, contrary to its position that emphasized the potential for free high school education to be used for local finance.
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[Korean Today] Ministry of Education ©Reporter Kim Mi-hee |
The Ministry of Education plans to establish a specific implementation plan to support victims and protect teachers after the law goes into effect. In addition, it plans to examine the effectiveness of the extension of the allowance for private education to ensure that the goal of reducing private education costs is achieved.
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