Seoi Elementary School playground, 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., citizen memorial space,
3 p.m. ‘49th Memorial Service’ in the auditorium…
Memorial events for the 49-year-old teacher of Seoi Elementary School in Seocho-gu, Seoul, who died, including Cho Hee-yeon and Lim Tae-hee, will be held in various places across the country, including in front of the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul and in each city and provincial office of education, on the 4th . Recently, three teachers in Seoul, Gyeonggi-do, and Gunsan, Jeollabuk-do were found dead in succession, and amid growing demands to protect teaching rights, it is expected that a significant number of teachers will take annual leave or sick leave and participate in the collective action on ‘Public Education Stop Day’.
According to the education community on the 4th, teachers across the country plan to designate this day as ‘Public Education Stop Day’ and commemorate the Seoi Elementary School teacher who died last July. Some teachers are expected to use annual leave or sick leave to commemorate the incident and will not come to school.
According to the Ministry of Education, 30 elementary schools across the country decided to close at their discretion (temporary closure) on this day. Some schools are considering shortened classes or combined grade classes instead of discretionary closures. Some parents are signing up for experiential learning instead of sending their children to school, so it appears that there will be more places where classes will not be held as usual.
A memorial space will be prepared for citizens at the Seoi Elementary School Stadium from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. on this day. The ’49th Memorial Service’ will be held at the Seoicho Auditorium at 3pm on this day. In attendance are Seoul Superintendent Cho Hee-yeon, Gyeonggi안전놀이터 Superintendent Lim Tae-hee, Korea Federation of Teachers’ Association President Jeong Seong-guk, Teachers’ Union Federation Chairman Kim Yong-seo, National Teachers and Education Workers Union Chairman Jeon Hee-young, and seniors and juniors from the deceased’s school.
The teachers’ group ‘All in One Mind’ plans to hold a memorial rally on the road in front of the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul from 4:30 pm and call for immediate revision of child abuse laws. Memorial rallies will be held at similar times in Chungnam, Daegu, Jeju, Incheon, and North Chungcheong offices of education, Daegu 2·28 Memorial Park, Gwangju 5·18 Democracy Square, and Daejeon Boramae Park. Memorial rallies were also scheduled at 7 p.m. at universities of education, including Seoul National University of Education, Gyeongin National University of Education, Chuncheon National University of Education, and Korea National University of Education.
Previously, teachers gathered in front of the National Assembly on the 2nd and held a ‘Seoicho Teacher Memorial Rally’ and appealed for the protection of teaching rights. Teachers have been holding protests every Saturday since the death of the Seoi Elementary School teacher, and the last rally was the largest. Organizers estimated that about 200,000 people attended.
The day before, on the 1st, and on the 31st of last month, a high school teacher in Yongin, Gyeonggi-do, an elementary school teacher in Gunsan, Jeollabuk-do, and an elementary school teacher in Yangcheon-gu, Seoul were found dead, and the atmosphere of commemoration is intensifying. The Ministry of Education’s position is to request that memorial services be held in the evening after work, rather than paying annual leave or sick leave and taking group action.