By Kim Bo-eun
Elementary and middle schools must request a police investigation if a student is absent for more than two days for no stated reason and their whereabouts are unknown.
This will also be applied if a student does not attend school for the same time period even if their whereabouts are known.
The Ministry of Education introduced the measures Monday, following a series of cases in which students absent from schools for a long period were discovered to have been abused ― or even killed ― by their parents. The measures will go into effect from the spring semester in March.
Currently, schools are required to contact the parents of students who have been absent for more than seven days without clear reasons and encourage them to send the children to schools. If the absence continues, the schools are required to notify local community offices. However, if the absence continues despite the offices' encouragement, there are no guidelines after this.
According to the new regulations, a teacher should contact the student or their parents during the first and second days of absence. If contact is unavailable, the teacher must visit the student's home together with a social welfare worker. If the student's whereabouts are not confirmed at this stage, the school must request a police investigation.
If the teacher meets the parents during the home visit but the student keeps not showing up at school, the student and the parents ― or any guardian ― will be called in to the school for counseling with a school committee comprised of the school principal, vice-principal, homeroom teacher, parent representatives, child protection institution staffers and police officers.
If absence continues for more than nine days despite such measures, a special organization within the regional education office will take charge of the student. The organization will check the whereabouts and safety of the student. If this remains unconfirmed, it must ask the police to investigate.
The ministry is also taking stricter care of transfer students. Up until now, students were able to transfer without the former school confirming if the student's address had changed. Now the schools will be required to check this. The heads of community centers will also be required to notify the new school of the transferring student.
In December, an 11-year-old girl was found to have been starved and abused by her father who prevented her from attending school for more than three years.
This prompted a nationwide inspection into long-term absent students.
During the investigation, it was found that a seven-year-old boy was killed in 2012 by his father at home in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province. He had been absent from school for four years. In another case, a middle schoolgirl was also found to have been killed by her parents a year ago.
Elementary and middle schools must request a police investigation if a student is absent for more than two days for no stated reason and their whereabouts are unknown.
This will also be applied if a student does not attend school for the same time period even if their whereabouts are known.
The Ministry of Education introduced the measures Monday, following a series of cases in which students absent from schools for a long period were discovered to have been abused ― or even killed ― by their parents. The measures will go into effect from the spring semester in March.
Currently, schools are required to contact the parents of students who have been absent for more than seven days without clear reasons and encourage them to send the children to schools. If the absence continues, the schools are required to notify local community offices. However, if the absence continues despite the offices' encouragement, there are no guidelines after this.
According to the new regulations, a teacher should contact the student or their parents during the first and second days of absence. If contact is unavailable, the teacher must visit the student's home together with a social welfare worker. If the student's whereabouts are not confirmed at this stage, the school must request a police investigation.
If the teacher meets the parents during the home visit but the student keeps not showing up at school, the student and the parents ― or any guardian ― will be called in to the school for counseling with a school committee comprised of the school principal, vice-principal, homeroom teacher, parent representatives, child protection institution staffers and police officers.
If absence continues for more than nine days despite such measures, a special organization within the regional education office will take charge of the student. The organization will check the whereabouts and safety of the student. If this remains unconfirmed, it must ask the police to investigate.
The ministry is also taking stricter care of transfer students. Up until now, students were able to transfer without the former school confirming if the student's address had changed. Now the schools will be required to check this. The heads of community centers will also be required to notify the new school of the transferring student.
In December, an 11-year-old girl was found to have been starved and abused by her father who prevented her from attending school for more than three years.
This prompted a nationwide inspection into long-term absent students.
During the investigation, it was found that a seven-year-old boy was killed in 2012 by his father at home in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province. He had been absent from school for four years. In another case, a middle schoolgirl was also found to have been killed by her parents a year ago.
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