By Chung Ah-young
Staff Reporter

A new teacher evaluation system will be launched on a trial basis from next month, sparking a mounting outcry from unionized teachers.

Prime Minister Lee Hae-chan decided to introduce the new teacher evaluation system in 2007 as scheduled at a policy coordination meeting on Wednesday.

The new system is designed to encompass new ways of comprehensively evaluating both teachers and principals.

The current evaluation system leaves a lot to be desired as a principal, who rarely attends classes, is tasked with evaluating teachers’ performances.

Under the new system, peer teachers, students and parents will review teachers’ performances.

``We’ll push ahead with the system after the trial and consulting with teachers’ groups,’’ Choi Kyoung-soo, senior official at the Office for Government Policy Coordination, said.

The trial system will be introduced from next month until February next year in 66 primary and secondary schools nationwide.

Choi also said that the government will take strong action against the recent cancellation of a public hearing to discuss the new teacher evaluation system due to a disruption by the Korean Teachers and Educational Workers’ Union (KTU) on Tuesday.

``It interfered with carrying out our duty, which was to gain consensus between teachers’ groups and the Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development,’’ Choi said.

He added that it will take a hard line against the disruptive actions by requesting a police investigation of those involved.

However, Han Jae-gap, spokesperson of the Korean Federation of Teachers’ Association (KFTA) said that the unionized teachers will hold Lee and education minister Kim Jin-pyo accountable for the crippled educational situation.

``The KFTA will use all possible ways to prevent the system from being implemented if it pushes ahead with the evaluation system without our consensus _ rallies and demonstrations, collecting signatures…,’’ he said.

Han Man-joong, spokesperson of the KTU also urged the government to seek ways to settle the dispute with unionized teachers and to stop pushing the plan.

chungay@koreatimes.co.kr