As a new semester begins at North Korean schools, parents appear to be judging homeroom teachers not for their teaching skills but for their standard of living, Daily NK has learned.<\/p>\n
At an elementary school in Rason, parents of first-grade students were upset about their children being assigned to a homeroom teacher who is struggling financially.<\/p>\n
“Parents observed a class after the opening ceremony at a Rason elementary school on April 1. In one first-grade classroom, parents watching from the back were vocally displeased with the homeroom teacher,” a source in North Hamgyong province told Daily NK recently.<\/p>\n
In North Korean schools, the same homeroom teacher typically leads a class from their arrival until graduation.<\/p>\n
Homeroom teachers are occasionally replaced when they relocate for marriage or become too ill to continue. However, these are rare occurrences, and homeroom teachers generally remain with their pupils for several years.<\/p>\n
North Korean parents are highly concerned about which homeroom teacher their children get, believing this teacher will significantly impact their children’s future. This is especially true for parents of first-graders, whose homeroom teacher will guide them throughout all five years of elementary school\u2014longer than at any other educational level.<\/p>\n
Parents’ anxiety became evident while observing a class after the Rason elementary school’s opening ceremony. They were visibly disappointed by the sickly, shabbily dressed homeroom teacher nervously conducting the class.<\/p>\n
“It’s absurd to leave our children with that kind of teacher for five years,” one parent reportedly said. Another parent walked out mid-class and complained directly to the principal.<\/p>\n
Locals familiar with the homeroom teacher acknowledged her difficult financial situation. She lives with and financially supports her parents, and has very few clothes.<\/p>\n
“Parents today openly prefer teachers who are well off. They claim poor teachers end up relying on students’ parents financially and focus more on making ends meet than on academics. Parents believe only financially comfortable teachers can provide proper education,” the source said.<\/p>\n
“A teacher’s lifestyle, rather than teaching ability, is becoming parents’ primary assessment criterion. This erodes teachers’ authority and damages the trust between parents and teachers,” the source added.<\/p>\n
“Well-connected families used their influence before the school year to ensure their children were placed with affluent teachers. As usual, this triggered disputes at the start of the school year over homeroom teacher assignments. But parents must be careful\u2014if they complain to the principal, they risk being labeled troublemakers by both the school and the homeroom teacher for the entire five years their children attend elementary school,” the source concluded.<\/p>\n