Public education suspended as 3 more suicides cause teachers to walk out of classrooms

People pay respects at Seoui Elementary School in southern Seoul. On July 19, a 20-something female teacher committed suicide at the school. Monday marks the 49th day of the teacher's passing. Traditionally, a special rite is held to mourn the dead with teachers applying for leave en masse so they can take part in the public education first day. As a parent raising a child, I felt so sorry and sorry. So I came to Seoui Elementary School to commemorate her death without the experience of raising a child. At the rally commemorating her death, many participants called for enhanced teachers' rights. Some 30 elementary schools across the country, including Seoui, announced all classes will be suspended on Monday. To show support for teachers, some parents opted not to send their kids to school. An estimated 10,000 to 20,000 teachers are expected to participate in the rally that will take place in front of the National Assembly later in the day, the event's organizer said. Three more teachers commit suicide in the past four days. On August 31, a female teacher in her 30s committed suicide by jumping from an apartment. She taught at an elementary school in Yangcheon-gu in southwestern Seoul. On the following day, a male elementary teacher in Gunsan ended his life by jumping off a bridge into the sea. On September 3, a high school teacher in Yongin took his own life on a hiking trail, leaving behind a will. Reflecting the seriousness of the string of death, around 200,000 teachers from around the country gathered outside the National Assembly in Seoul on Saturday to commemorate the risen death. We are! Teachers believed those who died were all under excessive stress due to pushy parents. Teachers demanded the government get to the bottom of why the suicides took place while calling on lawmakers to approve measures to protect teachers' rights. They also urged the Education Ministry to withdraw its warning against teachers taking part in the rallies. Teachers, moreover, have pushed for amendments to ambiguous clauses in the Child Welfare Act that can hold teachers accountable for child abuse for what can be deemed as necessary disciplinary action.