Teachers taking stress-related leave log 17th straight yearly rise
The number of public school teachers who took sick leave due to depression or other mental disorders in the academic year through last March rose for the 17th straight year to reach a record high, an education ministry survey said Friday.
The number of such teachers at elementary schools as well as junior high and high schools totaled 5,458, up 58 from the preceding year, accounting for 63 percent of the 8,627 teachers who took sick leave during the year, according to the Education, Sports, Culture, Science and Technology Ministry.
The pace of rise slowed in the reporting year and a ministry official said it could be attributable to "the effects of improving counseling treatment (for teachers)."
Among the teachers who took leave citing psychological reasons, the largest portion, 39 percent, were in their 50s, followed by 35 percent in their 40s, 19