The Ministry of Education is pushing for a new law to make it possible to dismiss teachers or force them to take a leave of absence if they are unable to perform their duties due to mental illness.

The ministry announced the tentatively named Ha-neul’s Law on Tuesday in response to the recent tragic death of a seven-year-old girl in Daejeon who was stabbed by her teacher.

Measures include the immediate separation of students from teachers who are aggressive or cannot fulfill their responsibilities due to mental health issues, and a requirement for schools to report such incidents to the related office of education for further action.

In addition, the law would establish a “teacher job performance suitability committee” to help identify teachers who are facing difficulties because of their mental or physical state and make recommendations for psychological treatment, a leave of absence or dismissal.

School safety would be strengthened by expanding CCTV installations in school corridors, stairwells and classrooms, while staffing would increase for after-school child care programs to ensure young students are directly released to their guardians.

Kim Ha-neul, a first grader, was fatally stabbed last week by a teacher with a history of mental health problems.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Lee Ju-ho said the government will do its best to make schools a place where students can learn with confidence, will strive to prevent future tragedies through Han-eul’s Law, and will come up with effective measures after hearing opinions from experts, teachers’ organizations and parents.