South Korea's major political parties on Sunday said they will put their best efforts to improve teachers' authority as they outlined their commitments to normalize the country's public education system to mark Teacher's Day.
The ruling Saenuri Party said it "thanks and pays respect" to all teachers in the nation who are trying to realize true education.
"We will put our best efforts forward for teachers so they can concentrate on educating students with pride and high self-esteem," said Kim Jung-jae, the floor spokeswoman for the Saenuri Party. "We will beef up our budget support and reform our legal system to improve the country's education environment."
The country's public schools have become increasingly pushed aside in some respects due to the emergence of private education academies.
Lee Jae-kyung, the spokesman for the main opposition Minjoo Party, said that all parties should form a united front to normalize public schooling.
"As cases of infringement on teachers' rights in the classroom are increasing, all parties should put their heads together to find a solution to normalizing public education and restoring trust in our education system," he said.
Chang Jin-young, the spokesman for the minor People's Party, also agreed that teachers are having a tough time in the classroom, and the urgent task is to guarantee and boost teachers' authority.
According to data from the Ministry of Education, there were 10,329 cases of teachers' rights violations between 2013 and 2015.
Among the reported cases, abusive language from students accounted for 64.6 percent, or 8,415 cases. (Yonhap)