By Kim Se-jeong
Eight out of 10 professors feel they are less respected in society than in previous years, according to a survey released Thursday.
The survey, conducted by Kyosu Shinmun, a journal for professors, found that 80.2 percent of professors believe their social status is on decline. In a similar survey conducted in 2013, 68.4 percent responded in kind. Traditionally in Korea, teachers have been considered a respected class of the society.
The newspaper surveyed 785 professors with full-time teaching positions at universities.
The results followed a series of sex abuse and corruption cases involving professors.
The survey also revealed a disappointing perception of plagiarism among professors.
More than 54 percent of respondents said that although they are against plagiarism, they would stay quiet if they saw their colleagues plagiarize material. Thirty-one percent said they would pretend they did not know about it at all, up from 23.7 percent two years ago.
Asked why the perception of professors is becoming more negative, one professor said, “Universities are becoming vocational schools.”
Another said that professors are now mobilized to attract students and raise funds. “We are no longer those who think critically about social issues and suggest solutions. We have become a tool.”
One professor was self-critical, saying the root cause of the problem is the disappearance of a sense of commitment among teachers and schools. “Teaching has become one of a million jobs to choose in order to earn a living. But it used to be something you would dedicate your life to.”
Almost 50 percent of respondents said they were uncertain about their future. Two years ago, 42.8 percent said that. Among them, 56.9 percent were art and music teachers. The percentage of engineering professors who answered the same way was 50 percent.