Jeju education office draws criticism

By Park Si-soo

The Jeju Office of Education is under fire for reprimanding a female teacher who had informed the state human rights agency of her boss’s sexual harassment of a student.

Unionized teachers, human rights activists and the provincial council of the country’s largest island are calling for the office to withdraw the reprimand, warning that otherwise they will take collective action to strike it down.

On Monday, the five female members of the Jeju Self-Governing Provincial Council issued a joint statement denouncing the education office. “The educational authorities showed an attempt to dodge responsibility by taking an administrative decision against the female teacher for filing the complaint,” it said. “It should immediately cancel the disciplinary step and make an apology to all the residents of Jeju.”

But the office insists that the decision was justifiable, citing a regulation that bans the content of counseling with any student from being open to a third party without the consent of the involved student. According to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), the middle school teacher reported the alleged harassment to the agency along with a record of some corrupt behavior involving the head of the school.

“The principal made sexually abusive remarks to the student and even groped her bottom,” said an NHRC officer.

After the principal’s wrongdoing was uncovered, the human rights agency demanded last month that the school dismiss him. The education office fired the principal later last month.

The office issued a disciplinary warning to the teacher for the “intentional disclosure” of the harassment. No administrative discipline such as a salary cut or work suspension was imposed.

The teacher’s supporters claim the warning itself was unjustifiable, citing an NHRC law stipulating that any disadvantageous treatments against informants be prohibited.

The office’s website was bombarded with articles condemning the decision. Members of the Korean Teachers and Education Workers’ Union urged the central government to reprimand the chief of the Jeju Office of Education for breaking the law. “The chief ignored the protection law and illegally reprimanded the teacher,” the union said in a statement.