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The nation's largest teachers' organization has reiterated its demand for the restoration of the retirement age for elementary and secondary school teachers to 65 from 62.

Kim Hak-joon, president of the Korean Federation of Teachers' Associations (KFTA), made the request in a meeting with Education Minister Moon Yong-lin late Tuesday.

As part of educational reforms launched by former Education Minister Lee Hai-chan, the government cut the retirement age to 62. The change went into effect last August.

Kim, who took the helm of the KFTA last November, demanded the restoration of the prior retirement age, citing a growing shortage of teachers.

The KFTA, set up in 1947, is the nation's largest teachers' organization, with a nationwide membership of some 210,000. Its membership peaked at about 260,000 before the introduction of the new retirement age.

The reduction prompted the KFTA to launch a signature-collection drive to oust the then top education policymaker from office.

At the meeting, Kim called on the minister to make concerted efforts to help raise the nation's education budget to 6 percent of gross national product.

As part of efforts to boost teachers' morale, he asked for a hike in special allowances for homeroom teachers from the current 60,000 won ($50) to 100,000 won by the end of 2001.

Kim also called for an early collective bargaining session between his federation and the Ministry of Education, no later than the end of March.

Since July 1992, the federation has negotiated with the ministry twice a year for better treatment and the improvement of working conditions for teachers.

The KFTA has been the only teachers' organization to negotiate with the ministry on both living-standards and education policy-related issues.

As one of its major negotiation items, the federation has demanded the early introduction of a system which would produce "master" teachers among senior elementary and secondary school teachers.

The ministry has shown a positive response to the proposal, considering the reality in which one out of every five teachers become principals and vice principals. If implemented, master teachers would receive higher salaries and fewer classes than ordinary teachers.