South Korea to Deploy Rotating Teachers to Support Kindergartens Amidst Teacher Shortages

South Korea's Ministry of Education announced measures to support kindergarten teachers, including the deployment of rotating instructors to educational institutions. This initiative aims to provide temporary relief for teachers who are ill or require leave, addressing a critical gap in support.

The plan involves placing rotating teachers within educational administrative bodies like the Kindergarten Education Promotion Institute. Additionally, instructors will be stationed at key kindergartens to cover temporary absences. The scope of support for substitute teacher wages, previously varied by provincial education offices, will expand to cover public holidays, sick leave, and special leave.

Provincial education offices are tasked with establishing a pool of substitute teachers, to be updated at least annually, to assist kindergartens needing urgent replacements. This move comes after a private kindergarten teacher in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, died from influenza in February, highlighting a system where teachers felt unable to take sick leave.

Internal reviews revealed that kindergarten teachers often could not use annual leave due to difficulties in finding substitute teachers. Some provincial education offices had provided substitute personnel but excluded sick leave from wage support. The new measures seek to create a more robust system for emergency teacher replacements.