An annual education report warned Friday that the nation’s teaching workforce was getting older.
According to the Korean Educational Development Institute, the teaching workforce here has gotten older ― by up to three years ― compared to 10 years ago.
Last year, the average ages of teachers at kindergartens, elementary, middle and high schools were 31.8, 39.7, 41.3 and 41.5, respectively.
Compared to 2000, the figures increased by 2.5 years, 0.8 years, 2.9 years and 1.7 years, respectively.
The aging trend among school teachers becomes more apparent when considering the percentages of different age groups, the report said.
In elementary schools, teachers aged 29 or younger accounted for 20 percent last year, down from 24.7 percent in 2000, while those in their 50s and 60s increased from 19.8 percent to 21 percent.
In middle schools, 20-something teachers accounted for 13.4 percent, down from 16.1 percent 10 years ago, while teachers in their 50s and 60s rose from 13.9 percent to 21 percent.
In high schools, the senior teacher group took up 22.9 percent, up from 14.4 percent in 2000, while 20-somethings grew by only about a percentage point to 12.6 percent.
Universities, in particular, saw a surge in teachers aged over 50 in a decade, with the percentage increasing from 29.5 percent to 45.3 percent last year.
“Given that the aging teaching workforce is becoming a universal problem found in OECD member states, the Korean government needs to take follow-up measures to fill the potential teacher shortages,” the report said.
A number of countries are already experiencing the issue of an aging teaching force.
In its report “Teacher Exodus ― The Meltdown Scenario,” the OECD had urged earlier that its member nations prepare for severe teacher shortages in the near future.
Another OECD report said in 2001 that those aged 50 and over accounted for 49 percent of teachers in upper secondary education in Sweden and similar situations are found in other countries such as Germany and New Zealand.
The report pointed out that the immediate effect of a teacher shortage could be low quality teaching, heavier workloads for teachers and an increased number of students per teacher.
By Lee Ji-yoon (jylee@heraldcorp.com)
<한글 기사>
직장인 12% "일터서 폭행 당해봤다"
직장인 10명 중 1명은 일터에서 폭행을 당해본 것으로 조사됐다.
22일 취업포털 사람인에 따르면 직장인 1천951명을 대상으로 '사내 신체적 폭력 경험'에 대해 설문 조사한 결과, 12.2%가 '폭행을 당한 경험이 있다'고 답했다.
상사에게 폭행을 당했다는 응답이 66%(복수응답)로 가장 많았으며, 'CEO 및 임직원'(20.2%)이 다음을 차지했다.
동기(7.1%)나 부하직원(5.5%)에게 폭행을 당해봤다는 대답도 있었다.
어떤 종류의 폭행을 당했느냐는 질문에는 '다리로 차였다'가 27.7%로 가장 많았고 '서류 등으로 머리를 맞았다'(27.3%), '멱살을 잡혔다'(26.5%), '주먹으로 가격 당했다'(25.2%), '따귀 등을 맞았다'(21.8%) 등이 뒤를 이었다.
폭행 장소로는 사무실 내(58.4%), 회식자리(20.6%), 옥상 등 사무실 외부(18.9%), 회의실(9.2%), 화장실(6.3%) 등의 답변이 나왔다.
폭행을 당한 이유로는 31.9%가 '상대방이 스트레스를 풀기 위해서'라고 생각하고 있었고 '이유없다'는 응답도 31.1%를 차지했다.
'업무를 제대로 못 해서'라는 응답은 13.4%에 그쳤다.
폭행을 당한 뒤 대처에 대해서는 절반이 넘는 56.3%가 '그냥 참았다'고 답했다.
이밖에도 '그 자리에서 불쾌감을 표시했다'(25.6%), '퇴사의사를 밝혔다'(14.3%), '인간관계를 끊었다'(12.2%), '더 높은 상사에게 보고했다'(10.5%), '경찰, 노동부 등 관련기관에 신고했다'(7.1%) 등의 답변이 나왔다.
사람인의 임민욱 팀장은 "사내 폭행은 주로 상사로 인해 발생하기 때문에 묵인 하거나 방조하는 경우가 많아 개선이 쉽지 않다"며 "기업 차원에서 옴부즈맨 제도 등 폭력을 예방하기 위한 제도 마련에 힘써야 한다"고 말했다.
(연합뉴스)
