The training and placement of elementary school teachers in colonial Korea

This paper aims to clarify the reality of training and placement of elementary school teachers in colonial Korea. Through research, I came to obtain perspectives on how \u22inland people\u22 (Japanese) and Koreans were trained as teachers in colonial Korea and what kind of difference existed between Keijo Normal School which was the top of normal schools in colonial Korea, and other normal schools. Furthermore this paper clarified how this difference appeared at the time of placement as teachers. Although there was no independent teacher training organization in colonial Korea at the beginning, teacher training in normal schools was specified in 1922 owing to the shortage of teachers. Henceforth, normal schools were expanded by politics, such as additional construction, trends toward governmental control, and extension of the years required for graduation. The intention of the Korean governor-general\u27s office, which was trying to meet the double demand of teacher mass production and quality of those who bear colonial education, can be read in these politics. In elementary schools, \u22inland people\u22 (Japanese) teachers and Korean teachers coexisted, and were co-educated in normal schools. However, the actual condition was coeducation out of balance. The rate of \u22inland people\u22 (Japanese) students and Korean students was so imbalanced that it can be said that Keijo Normal School trained teachers of \u22inland people\u22 (Japanese), and other normal schools trained Korean teachers. There were differences between Keijo Normal School and other normal schools such as year of establishment, qualification conferred and years required for graduation. Therefore, Keijo Normal School had special positioning in normal school organization. And this strongly influenced placement of teachers. Although the graduates of other normal schools were placed in the area near the normal school from which he/she graduated, the graduates of the Keijo Normal School were placed throughout the whole country of Korean. In addition, there were also examples of concentrated placement of teachers who graduated from Keijo Normal School and hiring of Keijo Normal School graduates by a particular school. In other words, selective job placement resulting from having graduated from Keijo Normal School occurred