Some parents send gift certificates to teachers via mobile devices: sources

Have you ever given gifts to teachers of schools your children attend? “Why not?” replied the mother of a second-year elementary school student living in Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi Province.

Some parents visit the houses of teachers, use private delivery services or mobile phones to give the so-called “chonji” to them, she said.

The mother, surnamed Kim, said the leader of parents’ group at the school told her that she would visit the teacher’s house to deliver chonji she collected from parents.

These days, some parents send gift certificates to teachers via mobile devices, she said. “This is a convenient way of delivering chonji to teachers since there is no need to hold a face-to-face meeting with them.”

Kim said that in recent years, parents have been reluctant to send chonji to teachers on the occasion of Teachers’ Day which falls on May 15, since school authorities keep an eye on the controversial customary practice.

They usually give an envelope of money to teachers at the beginning of each semester when they hold consultations with the teachers at school, or anytime when they meet them, she said.

The amount of chonji contained in the envelope reaches 300,000-500,000 won, according to Kim.

But in affluent Gangnam area, southern Seoul, it amounts to one million won, she said.

Some schools, on the other hand, pursue a zero-tolerance policy on chonji, sources said.

The mother of a third-year primary school student in Ilsan, Gyeonggi Province, said: “I asked other parents about chonji. They told me that they’ve never seen chonji at this school. At first, I was suspicious about it but now, I feel comfortable about it as I actually found few problems (between my child and teacher).”

The mother, surnamed Jang, was apparently referring to the possibility that giving chonji to teachers affects how their children are treated at school.