S.Korea to cut hiring of teachers amid steep fall in school-age population

Seoul, April 24 The South Korean government plans to slash hiring of new teachers across all elementary, middle and high schools by 20-30 per cent by 2027 amid a steep fall in the school-age population, the Education Ministry said on Monday.

The decision was released as part of the Ministry's long-term teacher employment plan for the 2024-2027 period, reports Yonhap News Agency.

Under the plan, 2,900-3,200 new elementary school teachers will be employed annually in 2024 and 2025, marking a cut of 18.6 per cent at maximum from the 3,561 teachers hired in 2023.

The target range will be further slashed to 2,600-2,900 for the following two years, representing a cut of up to 27 per cent.

In comparison with 4,898 teachers hired in 2023, annual employment of new middle- and high-school teachers will also be reduced by up to 18.3 per cent for the 2024-2025 period to 4,000-4,500 and up to 28.5 per cent for the 2026-2027 period to 3,500-4,000, the Ministry said.

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