Justice Ministry says penalties could be given if Education Ministry requests it, but Education Ministry says it will not target individual teachers
Foreign instructors teaching subjects other than languages on E-2 visas at unapproved international schools could face penalties if education authorities formally request action, the Justice Ministry told The Korea Herald on Sunday.
“Foreign teachers and their employers can be punished under the Immigration Act following on-site and individual investigations if there is an official request by the Education Ministry,” a Justice Ministry official said, concerning the Education Ministry’s planned crackdown on unauthorized international schools.
The ministry noted that the E-2 visa is issued to foreign nationals staying in Korea to teach a foreign language, and that “teaching other subjects is not within the scope of permitted activities under the visa.”
The Education Ministry said on April 29 that it would crack down on unapproved educational facilities, including international schools, amid concerns that some students are being kept outside the formal public education system. Their programs do not confer any recognized academic credentials, and graduates must take a GED in order to be accepted at tertiary education institutes.
Unauthorized international schools often operate like full-fledged schools while being registered as private academies. Many hire foreign faculty on E-2 visas who, in practice, teach non-language subjects as part of a foreign curriculum.
Still, it remains unclear whether the crackdown will lead to actual penalties for individual teachers, since the Education Ministry's stance suggests it is unlikely to make a formal request. The Education Ministry has said it does not intend to target instructors in its inspections of some 200 unapproved or unregistered educational facilities across the country.
“The instructors themselves will not be adversely affected,” an Education Ministry official told The Korea Herald on Tuesday. “There will be no measures against instructors, such as departure orders.”
seungku99@heraldcorp.com
