Corpun file 12047

Joong Ang Daily, Seoul, 14 May 2003

Students cite slip in respect for teachers

By Kim Hae-noon

In a new survey, half of middle and high school students said they are losing respect for their teachers, and many students concur that the social status of teachers is not as high as it once was.

The survey, conducted last month by the Korean Federation of Teachers Association, polled 3,228 students nationwide.

The respondents said the recent conflict between teachers and the government has eroded teachers' honor. About a third of the respondents criticized themselves and their parents for not respecting teachers enough.

Seventy percent of the students said that corporal punishment meted out by their teachers was fair, but that it should be limited to severe cases of insubordination. Teachers should not abuse the right to punish their pupils, the students said.

More than 60 percent of the students in the survey said that they despise teachers who show favoritism to certain students based on their high academic achievements. About a third of those in the survey said that they are not satisfied with their school life due to the restrictions placed on them.

Half of the students said that the most important thing that teachers should focus on is preventing violence at school.