A new students’ rights ordinance has met with mixed reactions from Catholics who say they are concerned about a lack of consensus on tenets of the bill.

The ordinance was passed late last year by the Seoul Metropolitan Council but was challenged last week by the Metropolitan Office of Education.

John Bosco Moon Yong-lin, professor at Seoul National University, said the ordinance stipulates certain freedoms for students but lacks provisions for educators to hold them to account if their behavior violates school regulations.

The ordinance includes regulations prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or religion and corporal punishment.

However, Andrew Kim Duck-jin, secretary general of the Catholic Human Rights Committee, said the ordinance attempts to treat and respect students as mature adults.