Corpun file 3708

The Korea Times, Seoul, 16 May 1999

Three Quarters of Parents Support Teachers' Corporal Punishment

Three quarters of parents support teachers' corporal punishment of students, according to a report released by the Korean Federation of Teachers' Associations yesterday.

The report, which is based on a poll of 3,697 parents, also showed that 64 percent of them think the practice of "chonji," money or gifts offered to the teachers by parents, should be ended.

According to the report, 74.7 percent of those polled think that teachers should be allowed to beat students on the condition that it is being done only for educational purposes. In contrast, 25.3 percent were against corporal punishment.

In particular, fathers were more supportive of corporal punishment than mothers with 78.9 percent of them in favor of beating students physically. Only 71.6 percent of mothers recognized the necessity of corporal punishment.

With regard to "chonji," 64.1 percent of the respondents replied that the decades-old practice must be uprooted completely. In contrast, 22.5 percent insisted that "chonji" be allowed, while 13.3 percent suggested that certain rules be established.

The report said 53.4 percent of the polled parents trust teachers' evaluations of scholastic achievements by students. But 37.4 percent replied "so so" with 9.2 percent showing no faith in teachers' evaluations.

To the dismay of government education policymakers, only 12.9 percent had full confidence in the government's education policies while 43.9 percent of the respondents replied that they don't trust government policies. The poll said 43.4 percent evaluated education policies neutrally.

With respect to whether or not to allow the creation of teachers' unions, 39.1 percent supported the argument of permitting teachers to form unions freely while 29.8 percent opposed the argument.

This shows drastic changes in parents' perceptions about teachers' unions. In past, the absolute majority of parents were against a proposal which would allow teachers to form unions.

According to the poll, nearly half of parents visit schools once or twice a year while 33.2 percent replied that they don't visit schools.

Copyright 1999 Hankook Ilbo New Media Division