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Teacher unions will go on strike this Saturday in protest against new teacher evaluations the government insists will go ahead on a trial basis in some 50 schools. But that is only part of a head-on clash between unions and the Education Ministry.
The Korean Teachers¡¯ Union (KTU) also announced it will defy the ministry by using controversial class materials critical of this month¡¯s APEC summit, which were prepared by the union¡¯s Busan chapter, in schools nationwide while the summit is underway in the city.
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The homepage of the Korean Teachers & Educational Worker's Union that shows a message that the teacher evaluation system should be scrapped.
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The ministry was unmoved on Monday, instructing education officials to accept applications from schools that want to take part in the pilot project until Nov. 15. The scheme, already a compromise version that introduces peer evaluations and questionnaires for students and parents, is to be trialed in 48 schools in 16 provinces and cities until August next year.
The KTU has declared an all-out war against the scheme. Besides the strike, it is has also vowed to campaign for the ouster of Education Minister Kim Jin-pyo. The Korea Federation of Teachers Associations also wants the minister out and is planning a demonstration of some 20,000 teachers in front of Seoul Station on Saturday. The ministry says it will take disciplinary action against teachers who take the day off to join the protest without permission from their principals.
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A video clip that lampoons President Roh Moo-hyun and U.S President George W. Bush made by the Busan chapter of the Korean Teachers¡¯ Union.
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KTU says it will use the satirical APEC teaching aids but delete segments containing abusive language from an accompanying video that lampoons President Roh Moo-hyun and U.S. President George W. Bush. ¡°The government says APEC promotes globalization and boosts the Korean economy, it is also true that ordinary people around the world are strongly opposed to globalization and to George W. Bush,¡± the union said.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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