Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Adventurer]

11-03-2008 17:32

Bill Proposed for Students� Basic Rights

By Kim Tae-jong
Staff Reporter

A lawmaker proposed a bill Monday to protect students' basic rights including having breakfast before going to school and choosing their own hairstyles.

To protect their rights, the bill also proposes banning extra classes out of regular hours, corporal punishment, and checks on personal belongings among other human rights violations.

Rep. Kwon Young-gil of the Democratic Labor Party proposed a bill to revise the Education Law on Elementary and Secondary School Students in time to celebrate the 79th Student Day.

``Students also have basic rights that should be protected by the Constitution but schools have strict regulations on hairstyles, conduct corporal punishment on students and offer mandatory early morning classes, which violate their human rights in the name of education,'' Kwon said. ``Through the revision, I want to change unethical traditions in the field of education and help students develop creativity and self-discipline.''

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http://koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2008/11/113_33798.html

[Cornfed]

[Xuanzang]

I wonder if Young-gil allows his kids to do these things...

[NoExplode]

Breakfast? What, in school? They do that in severelvy low income schools in the 'hood back in the States, but Korea?

[Adventurer]

[GreenlightmeansGO]

I think by 'breakfast' they mean a breakfast at home, before coming to school...but you may be right. I would imagine that some families don't feed their kids before shipping them out into the hell of education.

[Yu_Bum_suk]

[jvalmer]

I think instead of keeping high school kids in school studying until 9pm. Maybe make the classes optional and instead offer extra-curricular activities like sports, chess clubs, poetry, drawing ... whatever you can think of. So, it can keep the kids busy without much stress, free for the parents, and keep them from wandering the streets all night.

[sojourner1]

Well, kidz are complaining that they're hungry, overly pressured, and over worked which many in fact are. It's finally being recognized that there's a problem of missing breakfast and not getting adequate lunch, even rich kids suffer due to today's demands and time constraints making people forget about necessities. It's finally being recognized that kids are over pressured and over schooled in attempt to make high performers who get succeed in life. We all know parents and society means to do good in such a tight competitive limited environment, but over working the concept they are.

If I had a dollar for every time a Korean kid was jealous of me looking well fed and priveledged, I'd be rich, well fed, and truly priveledged in just 1 year. They really are unhappy over quality of life issues like food and too much schooling to the point of being very depressed and even suicidal. These high pressures in difficult conditions are the very reason Korea has the highest kiddie suicide rate in the world.

[moosehead]

am sure the corporate lackies at Family Mart and all the other marts here will put a stop to any nonsense such as proper nutrition for students - heck - it'd put them out of business!

[Xuanzang]

They still wouldnt stick around if they were optional. I`m betting most of these kids would pick PC room or hangout area over chess, drawing, poetry, etc.

[jvalmer]

A lot of girls don't eat breakfast on purpose. Do we force feed them?

Anyways, we don't give kids all their human rights anyways, like voting. Regulations on dress code and hair style a violation on human rights? Give me a break Young-Gil. He should be focusing his energy on shutting down hagwons and trying to change the mind-set of parents projecting their hopes and dreams on their kids.