Corrupt Teachers Face Tougher Penalty
By Park Si-soo
Staff Reporter
The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education said Thursday that 100 million won ($87,000) will be rewarded to those who report corruption among education officers. It said educators will be relieved of their posts, once they are confirmed to have taken bribes.
The focus will be placed on four areas ㅡ bribery, embezzlement, sexual crime and score manipulation ㅡ with those involved facing added punishment.
The measures came amid growing criticism against education authorities, which was sparked by allegations that some school inspectors had received bribes from teachers in exchange for helping in their promotions to senior positions such as principal and helping them get higher scores on their annual performance assessments.
Some claim they received bribes or kickbacks on a regular basis from private companies in exchange for giving them an advantage in selecting firms to construct new buildings or facilities.
"We are in talks with police and the prosecution about an efficient crackdown," a spokesman for the office said. "It will take some time to announce detailed measures. But they should be the strongest ones we have ever introduced."
According to the spokesman, a task force, comprised of education auditors, police officers and prosecutors, will soon be established in the office. "It will operate year-round," the official said. "Intensive inspections will be carried out for the next two months."
Lee Won-hee, head of the Korean Federation of Teachers' Association, called for immediate action to crack down on such corruptive practices in public education, citing a recent survey of some 500 field instructors.
"We are at a critical juncture to get public education back on track," Lee said in a statement.
According to the survey, nearly 80 percent of the respondents went with the idea that "fundamental" solutions were required.
Nearly half of the respondents cited murky and closed-door administration processes as the foremost culprit behind the corruption, followed by cronyism and moral hazards.