The National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) made a recommendation to the Prime Minister, the Minister of Education, Science and Technology, and other seventeen relevant branches including education offices in province or city.
NHRCK initiated a comprehensive research on rights of the child or juvenile as school violence is becoming a social concern and relevant individual petitions are increasing.
NHRCK notes that it is urgent to explore specific and effective measures for the protection of rights of the student and to nurture human rights-based school culture for the better understanding about the controversial issue of physical punishment among students, their parents and teachers.
For the Comprehensive Policy Recommendation, NHRCK established a “Research Planning Group for Human rights-friendly School Culture” (Research Planning Group) on December 2011 including eleven experts in this area. The Research Planning Group carried out a research on the following subjects; protection of rights of the student; respect of rights of the teacher; development of alternative programs to physical punishment; prevention of school violence; human rights-friendly public education. It also had a consultation with relevant government branches including the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology and open forum with teachers, teachers’ association, education offices in cities or provinces, NGOs, students and their parents.
The Comprehensive Policy Recommendation suggests 52 recommendations in 5 sections and 20 sub-sections. Those 5 sections are as the following; institutionalizing human rights education; promotion of rights of the student; respect for the rights of the teacher; human rights-friendly discipline without physical punishment; and prevention of school violence and positive countermeasures.
