South Korea's Ministry of Education is moving to revise related laws to revive field trip activities such as school excursions and picnics. The move comes as a growing number of schools are avoiding such events due to concerns that teachers could face legal liability in the event of accidents during field trips.
According to education officials on Tuesday, the ministry plans to announce measures this month to strengthen teacher immunity in cases of safety accidents during field trips. "The specific legal revisions and details will be prepared through gathering opinions from the field, legal reviews, and discussions with the National Assembly," a ministry official said. "We are also reviewing measures to actively support legal responses and compensation so that teachers do not face difficulties in litigation processes."
The current School Safety Accident Prevention and Compensation Act stipulates that "school principals and faculty members shall not bear civil or criminal liability for school safety accidents when they have fulfilled their safety duties toward students." Teachers' organizations, however, have called for institutional improvements, arguing that the immunity requirements for teachers in the event of safety accidents are insufficient.
The ministry's response has gained momentum after President Lee Jae-myung raised the issue at a Cabinet meeting on Oct. 28. "I hear that these days schools don't go on picnics or school trips," Lee said. "Picnics and school trips are part of the curriculum and there are things to learn through group activities, but there is a tendency to avoid them out of concern over safety accidents and being held accountable for management responsibilities."
Vice Education Minister Choi Eun-ok met on Oct. 30 with five teachers' groups, including the Teachers Union Federation, the Practical Education Teachers Association, the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union, the Good Teachers Movement, and the Korean Federation of Teachers' Associations, to discuss measures to institutionally protect teachers in the event of safety accidents.
