How Teacher Policy Shaped Teacher Education in Korea: A Comparison with Australia for Selected Issues

Abstract

The aims of this paper are (1) to describe the recent reform in teacher policy in South Korea, and (2) to discuss selected issues in teacher policy and teacher education comparing South Korea and Australia. In the 1990s the South Korean government initiated a comprehensive educational reform, which aimed at improving lowered teacher morale and enhancing teacher professionalism. Several large-scale initiatives were undertaken including addressing teacher salaries, providing enhanced opportunities for teachers to undertake higher degrees, 'developing new pathways for experienced teachers to remain in the classroom rather than follow administrative careers such as principals, and the employment of assistant teachers to reduce teachers' workloads. In Australia, the approach to educational change has been less dramatic. Australia has very different educational contexts from Korea, thus employs different approaches to issues in teacher education. To tackle the issue of incoherence in educational policy among state sand territories, the Australian government announced the Adelaide Declaration on National Goals for Schooling in the Twenty-First Century (1999), and developed the National Framework for Professional Standards for Teaching (2003). The Professional Standards provide a systematic approach for assessing teacher qualities, which South Korea does not have yet. Selected issues are discussed comparing the two countries: accreditation of teacher education institutions, teaching qualifications, teacher shortage and teacher oversupply, in-service professional development, and teacher retention. From the discussion, it is clear that there are common factors for attracting and retaining teachers for both countries, which are teacher salary, teachers' social status, teacher workload, teacher welfare, and job security/opportunity.