On 3/2, the South Korean government announced plans to cut over 3.700 primary and secondary school teachers. This decision stems from a sharp decline in student numbers, a direct consequence of many years of low birth rates.

This process actually began in 2023, through reduced new recruitment and by not replacing retiring teachers.

However, the move has met strong opposition from educators. They argue that while overall student numbers are lower, the pressure from multicultural and underperforming student groups is growing.

Educators warn that a 'mechanical' reduction in staff could lead South Korea down the same path as Japan, a nation currently struggling with a severe teacher shortage due to similar past policies.

Teachers distribute exam papers to students at a school in Chuncheon city, 2021. *Photo: Yonhap*

Japan's experience offers a cautionary tale. Since the late 1980s, Japan gradually scaled back teacher recruitment due to declining birth rates. This policy led to severe consequences in the 2000s, with teacher shortages becoming widespread across all educational levels. Many school principals and vice-principals were forced to teach classes directly. Increased working hours, stagnant compensation, and pressure from parents caused many teachers to leave the profession, significantly reducing its appeal to prospective students.

Although Japan later loosened recruitment criteria and called on both third-year university students and retired teachers to return to work, these efforts were widely considered 'too late'.

South Korea continues to grapple with a challenging demographic issue. While the 2024 birth rate saw a slight increase to 0,75 after eight consecutive years of decline, this figure remains significantly lower than the average of 1,43 in OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries.

Song Gwan-cheol, a researcher at the Korea Labor and Society Institute, emphasized, "When planning teacher recruitment, it is necessary to base it on teaching workload to accurately reflect pressures in schools, rather than solely looking at population statistics."

Hai Yen (According to Chosun Biz)