▲ The scene of protesting of preliminary teachers

     The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education announced the reduction of recruitment for teachers for primary schools in Seoul. Accoding to the announcement, it was "inevitable" due to the fact that, the Increasing Employment Policy of the Park Administration from the last government of South Korea which was impeached, limited the reduction of government workers. On the other hand, students in the education colleges in Seoul argue that the main reason for this announcement is to convert temporary working teachers into permanent teachers, which they think as "unequal".
     According to the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, people who passed the test, but are waiting for job openings, has reached about 4,000. To accomodate the number of new teachers every year, the recruitment for this year will only be about one out of eight compared to the previous year. The number of new teacher's recruitment will be cut by 40% next year, and it is expected to be adjusted for some more years. The students of education colleges are protesting in front of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, demanding for the full notification and gradual adjustment of the reduction.

▲ The street is full of protesters.

     However, according to the chief of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, Cho Hee Yeon, the announcement that the recruitment number will either be retained or evern increased, considering the government's rising agenda to let two teachers work in a single classroom in every primary school in Seoul. This made a lot of opposition to normal citizens, yet, since the tax and budget for primary school education will become so high. The difference between these two announcements from the same office made some doubts about the ability and status of the new government.

▲ The graph about the number of people who were selected as elementary teachers

     In this situation, the government should react wisely, considering the fact that the nobility and respect for the government is getting lower compared to the beginning. The solution must help college students who are worried about their future jobs, but it also has to be something that normal citizens might not oppose or disagree.

                                                                                                                        August 28th, by Park Kyung-jae