학교라는 거대한 행정의 늪, 노동자의 고통으로 얼룩진 교육 현장의 민낯 > K-wave Trends

The fact that teachers, administrators, and education officials in the Seoul area joined hands in solidarity by forming the 'Seoul Education Workers' Natural Association' for the first time in history is very meaningful. In the meantime, the labor-no conflict at the school site was at its peak due to the so-called 'ping-pong administration' in which administrative tasks were postponed to each other, and as a result, the educational community was facing the risk of disintegration. The joint meeting sharply criticizes that the surge in administrative demands such as the introduction of AI, Neulbom School, and the high school credit system are pushing the total workload of schools to the limit, and that the office of education's passive attitude is actually inciting antagonism among colleagues. They are now demanding policy changes from education authorities with a single voice in order to eliminate inefficient administrative-centered practices and create a democratic school culture that is faithful to the essence of education.

What makes school workers even more miserable is the poor working conditions during the heat waves that recur every year. According to a survey conducted by the National Education and Civil Service Headquarters, the risk has reached a critical point, with more than 80% of cafeteria and cleaning workers experiencing heat-related illnesses. In particular, culinary practitioners are fighting to the death in front of boiling cooking utensils while wearing thick sanitary clothing and boots, but the heat wave measures proposed by education authorities are nothing more than wall thermometer readings that do not reflect the actual temperature at all. In response to this 'desktop administration', workers across the country formed a 'heat wave monitoring group' that directly measured temperature and humidity and set out to secure practical data. Their move to prove the irresponsibility of the educational authorities by quantifying the temperature and humidity of the field can be said to be a minimum self-defense mechanism for survival.

Although the installation rate of rest facilities exceeds 90%, the statistic that only 35% of workers can actually rest properly clearly shows how backward our schools are in terms of labor rights. The reality is that more than 60% of workers are not observing the rest period, which is mandatory when the perceived temperature is above 33 degrees according to the guidelines of the Ministry of Employment and Labor. Reducing the high-temperature cooking process in the cafeteria, adjusting the diet, installing air conditioners and providing cooling equipment for cleaning workers are not simple welfare demands, but are the minimum safety measures to protect the lives and health of workers. However, education authorities are still maintaining a lukewarm attitude toward desperate appeals from the field, using budget and procedures as an excuse, entrenching a cruel structure in which workers have no choice but to work while sick.

These conflicts in the educational field are leading to a strong desire for change in new educational administration, as shown in the recent Gangwon-do Superintendent of Education election results. The fact that teachers and public servant unions have all sent welcoming messages proves that normalizing school work and respecting labor, which have been neglected for the past time, is a task of the times that can no longer be postponed. Rather than simply making election promises, the Office of Education needs to take a forward-looking stance that listens to the voices of schools and recognizes labor unions as equal players in education. Superintendent-elected superintendents of education have a huge responsibility to restore broken trust between the field and the Office of Education by creating an environment in which educational members can coexist and implementing policies that improve long-standing discrimination and unreasonable treatment.