South Korea to limit number of times daycare centres need to respond to needless parent complaints

SEOUL – The South Korean government plans to set up guidelines for daycare centres to prevent actions that may hinder the operations of childcare facilities, such as parents repeatedly issuing complaints for no good reason.

The Education Ministry reportedly issued an administrative notification ahead of implementing the guidelines, which will specify the rights of teachers and the management of daycare centres. This follows Education Minister Lee Ju-ho – currently doubling as acting president – pledging in May to set up a criterion distinguishing “justified guidance from child abuse crimes”.

According to the new guidelines, the parent or legal guardian of a child can issue a complaint about a disciplinary action against a child within 14 days. The head of the daycare centre is mandated to respond to a complaint within the 14 days it was made.

But if the same complaint is made repeatedly without justifiable cause, the daycare centre can refuse to reply after responding to the matter twice.

The guidelines specified that members of the daycare centre may implement measures for guidance on a range of issues, including matters related to the growth and development of children, those that may affect health of children or other people, those that infringe upon the childcare duties of those working for the centre or other children’s right to be cared for, and the possession and use of items that can influence the overall atmosphere of the class.

Hence, teachers and heads of daycare centres can guide children on matters such as manners, use of language and overall communication, conflicts, and the attitude towards particularly vulnerable children. THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK