Gwangju Metropolitan Office of Education implements new system to block malicious school calls

The Gwangju Metropolitan Office of Education has implemented a new telephone response system to protect teachers from malicious complaints. Starting this month, the system will be applied to 324 elementary, middle, high, and special schools, as well as public kindergartens in the Gwangju area.

Under the new system, calls to schools will first be routed through an Automated Response System (ARS). Callers can select a specific department, and even if a caller dials a classroom number directly, the call will be redirected to the school's main representative number. This measure aims to prevent individual classroom numbers from being exposed to the public. Additionally, calls made from the school to external parties will display the school's main number rather than a teacher's personal or classroom line.

To combat abusive behavior, the system will automatically terminate calls made from restricted or hidden numbers after an automated voice announcement. The education office expects these changes to reduce verbal abuse and allow teachers to focus more effectively on instruction and educational activities.