***(S. Korea) 20% increase in number of special needs students in last 4 yrs
In South Korea, a government program supporting children with disabilities in daycare facilities is expanding, but the number of special education teachers is not growing at a corresponding pace. According to Korea Herald, 4,249 teachers are needed to educate 16,993 children aged zero to five who require special education. Only 58% of the required positions have been filled.
Support without new teachers
Last year, as part of a pilot program to expand special education support in daycare facilities, the Ministry of Education conducted disability screening and assessments for 7,097 children under the age of five. Care and support services were provided to 1,334 children, while 362 received transport subsidies.
Kang Kyung-sook, a lawmaker from the Rebuilding Korea Party, said that no special education teachers had been added to such facilities under the program. Under government standards, one special education teacher may teach up to four students.
The need for special education is growing
The number of students eligible for special education in the country's public kindergartens, elementary, middle and high schools has risen by 19.8% over the past four years, reaching 124,195 this year. At the same time, the share of legally mandated special education teacher positions that have been filled fell from 83% in 2022 to 79% this year, Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Kim Moon-soo said.
Overwork and resignations
According to the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union, staff shortages and heavy workloads make it difficult to provide adequate support to students. In a published survey, 50.2% of special education teachers said violations of their professional rights had become more frequent compared with the previous year. According to the union, the corresponding figure rose from 12.5% in 2024 to 44.5% last year.
The Ministry of Education also reported early departures from the profession: over five years starting in April 2021, 862 special education teachers left before reaching retirement age. This is 3.3 times more than the 260 employees who retired due to age.
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