As North Korean schools prepare for the new academic year, a significant change in uniform distribution has created additional burdens for teachers across elementary, middle, high schools, and universities.<\/p>\n
Previously, school uniforms were supplied or repaired at specialized shops. However, schools are now responsible for handling all uniform repairs themselves, generating widespread complaints from teachers.<\/p>\n
“Teacher duties have increased because schools now supply uniforms to students,” a Daily NK source in South Hamgyong province reported recently. “Schools are even tasked with sewing name tags and raising pant hems\u2014all this work gets dumped on teachers.”<\/p>\n
According to the source, North Korean authorities changed the uniform distribution system last year, ordering schools to directly distribute uniforms to students rather than through commercial networks. Schools must now take students’ measurements in advance and make necessary alterations, requiring them to prepare changing rooms and coordinate with clothing factories.<\/p>\n
One elementary school in Hamhung hastily converted a storage space into a changing room after learning that the district people’s committee would be surveying uniform distribution. The school quickly commissioned a clothing factory to handle alterations.<\/p>\n
This new responsibility has forced teachers to prioritize uniform-related tasks over academic preparation. Their duties now include scheduling visits from factory repair personnel, informing students of fitting dates, guiding measurement sessions, visiting clothing factories, and transporting altered uniforms back to schools.<\/p>\n
Teachers have expressed deep frustration, with many complaining that schools “are like shops now.” One middle school teacher in Hamhung remarked that it “felt like she was going to work at a factory when she left for school in the morning” and that she had “no time to prepare for classes” with all the uniform-related responsibilities.<\/p>\n
Some parents, recognizing the increased burden on teachers, have begun taking matters into their own hands\u2014either obtaining uniforms early to make alterations themselves or purchasing better-quality uniforms from markets. Although the North Korean authorities prohibit privately made school uniforms, many parents opt for market alternatives because government-supplied uniforms are often made from thin, easily-torn materials.<\/p>\n
“I don’t know why they had to change the uniform distribution method and hassle teachers,” the source added. “The teachers don’t like it, and even parents complain about the new system because they sense how the teachers feel about it.”<\/p>\n