Nearly all elementary school teachers oppose school field trips, survey finds
![Attendees hold up slogans during a protest rally calling for the acquittal of a teacher who was held responsible for the death of a student during a field trip in 2022, outside the Chuncheon District Court in Gangwon on April 16, 2024. [YONHAP]](https://image.koreajoongangdaily.com/12590601.webp?imageId=12590601&width=960&height=620&format=jpg)
Nearly all elementary school teachers in Korea oppose school field trips, largely due to the legal risks in the event of an accident, a recent survey found.
A survey of 21,918 teachers conducted by the Elementary School Teachers’ Union found that 96.2 percent responded negatively to experiential learning programs such as picnics and school excursions.
Among respondents, 90.5 percent, or 19,827 teachers, described their stance as “very negative,” while 5.7 percent, or 1,256 teachers, said they were “generally negative.”
Only 0.6 percent of the respondents said they were “very positive,” and 1.5 percent, or 331 teachers, said they were “generally positive.”
The most cited reason for reluctance was anxiety over teachers’ legal responsibility in the event of safety accidents, accounting for 49.8 percent.
Stress from handling complaints from parents followed at 37 percent, while excessive administrative work — including selecting venues, signing contracts and settling accounts — accounted for 12.4 percent.
When asked what is most needed for smoother implementation of experiential learning programs, 92.5 percent pointed to the need for clear institutional safeguards that guarantee the teachers' exemption from liability in the event of accidents.
The anxiety follows an incident that occurred last November, where an elementary school teacher received a suspended sentence of six months' imprisonment on charges of professional negligence after their student died after being hit by a truck in the parking lot during a school field trip.
“All educational activities, including experiential learning, are valuable opportunities for students to expand their learning, but institutional safeguards must first be established so that teachers do not bear unlimited responsibility for unpredictable accidents,” the Elementary School Teachers’ Union stated. “The government should establish legal measures to fundamentally limit teachers’ criminal and civil liability."
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY SHIN HYE-YEON [lee.jiwon10@joongang.co.kr]
