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By Lee Hyo-jin
An elementary school teacher in her 20s surnamed Lee living in Gyeonggi Province recently had to undergo a drug test for the first time in her life, after it became a mandatory process for teachers at public schools.
"It was unpleasant, being treated like a potential drug addict," she told The Korea Times. She also experienced frustration due to a lack of guidance from the education authorities on the procedure.
"I was only told to hand in the test results by July 17, without proper guidance on where I should take the test or whether I would be able to take a leave of absence." She had to pay for the test, which cost around 40,000 won ($35), herself after being told that it wouldn't be covered by the government.
"But a couple of days later, the regional education office changed its stance and said to keep the receipts and I'd be repaid later," she said, pointing out that the ill-prepared policy is causing confusion among teachers.
This year, 20,000 teachers at public schools nationwide are expected to undergo the tetrabromophenolphthalein ethyl ester (TBPE) drug test just like Lee, according to the Ministry of Education, following a revision to the Primary and Secondary Education Act which was passed at the National Assembly last December.
The revised law aims at strengthening monitoring of public school teachers amid an increase in the number of drug-related offenses in recent years.
As a follow-up measure, the education ministry has introduced the drug screening as a new requirement for those who seek to obtain teacher certification.
Under the current system, those who have graduated from a university of education receive Grade 2 certification, making them eligible to take the national teacher qualification examination held every year.
Also, teachers with more than three years of work experience at schools can obtain Grade 1 certification after undergoing 200 hours of in-service training, which opens up more opportunities for promotions and wage increases.
The drug test is mandatory for both applicants for Grade 1 and 2 certifications. Teachers who have already obtained Grade 1 are not subject to the testing.
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| Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education building in Suwon / Korea Times file |
The policy, however, has prompted backlash among teachers who view it as a "unilateral decision" treating public educators as potential drug addicts. They are demanding the education authorities revise its "top-down bureaucratic policy."
"Medical workers whose jobs are directly involved with drugs such as doctors, nurses and veterinarians are subject to only one drug test when they apply for their license. But making teachers undergo the test twice is an unfair measure, creating a misperception that they are more likely to be drug abusers than other occupational groups," said Park Keun-byeong, head of the Seoul Teachers' Association.
"I agree that teachers are held to a higher standard of ethical behavior than other professions, but what annoyed me was the lack of communication from the education authorities," a teacher at an elementary school in Seoul said on condition of anonymity.
"Drug testing may reveal the types of medications a person is taking, information that some wish to keep private. Such sensitive issues should have been discussed thoroughly before implementation," she said.
The Gyeonggi Teachers' Union with around 100,000 members has demanded the education authorities revise the "unreasonable" measure.
"The enforcement imposes excessively strict standards on teachers even though the ratio of illegal drug addiction among us isn't particularly high and we do not have any special access to drugs compared to other occupational groups," its statement released June 29 stated.
The union also criticized the education authorities' lack of basic administrative support for teachers such as offering free testing or guaranteed paid day off to take the test.
Following mounting criticism, the education ministry has decided to make the drug test free of charge and ensure that teachers subject to it can take a paid day of absence for the testing.
"There seems to be some confusions as it's a newly launched policy," an official at the ministry told The Korea Times. "It is a follow-up measure to meet the legislative intent of the revised law, as well as the need in society for stricter qualifications for teachers."
She added, "We are gathering various opinions based on which we plan to come up with additional measures to minimize the inconvenience for those involved. Also, the drug tests will be included in teachers' annual medical checkups starting from next year."
