No more memories: Overnight trips disappear as teachers fear criminal liability

Nearly half of South Korean schools have cut back on traditional overnight field trips, driven by educators' growing fears of criminal liability if a student gets hurt. According to a survey released Tuesday by the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union, only 53.4 percent of elementary, middle and high schools organized overnight field trips over the past year. The remaining institutions opted for day trips (25.9 percent), conducted on-campus activities only (10.8 percent) or halted all experiential learning (7.2 percent). The union polled 789 branch heads nationwide from March 23 to 30. The respondents represented elementary schools (41.95 percent), middle schools (27.76 percent) and high schools (23.07 percent). When asked why they are reluctant to organize the trips, 89.6 percent of teachers cited fear of criminal liability if an accident occurs. Among them, 54.8 percent described the pressure as "very high." Additionally, 84 percent pointed to excessive administrative burdens and prior site inspections. Although 72.2 percent of respondents said teachers’ opinions are reflected

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