North Korea’s new elective curriculum is fueling a teacher reassignment crisis
North Korea introduced an elective subject system in its senior middle schools — the equivalent of high schools — this year, but the reform has triggered significant disruption on the ground, with teachers resisting reassignment orders and specialist training falling critically short, a source told
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North Korea introduced an elective subject system in its senior middle schools — the equivalent of high schools — this year, but the reform has triggered significant disruption on the ground, with teachers resisting reassignment orders and specialist training falling critically short, a source told Daily NK on Tuesday.
A source in North Hamgyong province said an English teacher at a senior middle school in Songphyong district, Chongjin, was called to a staff meeting earlier this month and subjected to sharp public criticism after refusing orders to transfer to a school on the outskirts of the district. The teacher had declared they would rather be dismissed than accept the posting.
Senior middle schools are six-year secondary institutions serving students roughly aged 13 to 18. The new elective system, introduced in 2026, divides the curriculum into specialized subject tracks and requires dedicated specialist teachers for each, replacing the previous practice in which a single teacher often covered multiple related subjects.
Transfers draw resistance across the board
To staff the new subject tracks, education authorities have been reassigning teachers between schools. The curriculum now groups subjects into four broad areas: social studies (covering revolutionary history, music, and physical education); mathematics (mathematics and physics); science (biology and chemistry); and language arts (Korean language and foreign languages). Revolutionary history teachers appear relatively unaffected by the changes, while mathematics and science specialists are particularly anxious about being moved.
The source said teachers in North Korea typically remain at a single school for their entire career unless personal circumstances such as marriage or relocation require a change. Transfers to peripheral or rural schools are strongly resisted, and the source said many teachers facing such postings have said they would prefer dismissal to relocation.
“The elective system simply cannot function without teacher reassignments,” the source said. “But when teachers say they would rather be fired, the Ministry of Education is left in a very difficult position, especially when the reform actually requires more teachers, not fewer.”
Training gaps threaten curriculum quality
Beyond the reassignment problem, the source said a shortage of specialist expertise represents a serious structural obstacle to the reform’s success.
North Korea’s regular teacher training consists of approximately 10-day sessions held during each school vacation period, supplemented by longer one-month sessions held roughly every two to three years when curriculum changes or new teaching methods are introduced. In practice, sources said, these short-term sessions are widely regarded as insufficient to develop the depth of subject knowledge the new elective curriculum demands.
The source said the gap between the ambitions of the reform and the realities of the classroom means the current confusion is unlikely to resolve quickly.
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