Superintendent Cho Hee-yeon Requests National Assembly to Specify 'Student Participation' in School Operation Committees

Proposal for Amendments to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and Enforcement Decree Submitted to the National Assembly

Cho Hee-yeon, Superintendent of Education for Seoul, is announcing strengthened COVID-19 prevention measures for schools and academies nationwide at the Seoul Government Complex in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the 20th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] Cho Hee-yeon, Superintendent of Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, plans to demand a legal amendment to allow student representatives to participate in the decision-making process of school educational activities.

On the 9th, Superintendent Cho and the 10th Seoul Student Participation Committee met with Yoo Ki-hong, Chairman of the National Assembly's Education Committee, to deliver a request for amendments to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and its enforcement decree, which would mandate student representatives' participation in school operation committees. The Seoul Student Participation Committee is a student self-governing body composed of representatives from 723 middle and high schools in Seoul, established within the Education Support Offices and the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education.

The Seoul Student Participation Committee demands the addition of student representatives alongside teacher representatives, parent representatives, and community figures in the composition of school operation committees as stipulated in Article 31, Paragraph 2 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, as well as an increase in the proportion of student members in Article 58, Paragraph 2 of the enforcement decree of the same law.

Until now, students, despite being key members of the school community, have been excluded from decisions regarding school educational activities. They hope to be guaranteed participation in the decision-making processes of major school educational activities such as curriculum, after-school classes, school uniforms, and school regulations.

In March, the Seoul Student Participation Committee organized a task force to submit the amendment request. Based on field surveys and legal analyses, they collected opinions on the amendment proposal and conducted online and offline signature campaigns, obtaining consent from approximately 320 students.

Im Seok-hoon, a third-year student at Sungmoon High School and head of the task force, said, "The experience of independently identifying students' rights to democratic communication and drafting a legal amendment request was a meaningful opportunity for social participation that put textbook content into practice."

Cho Hee-yeon, Superintendent of Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, stated, "The submission of the amendment proposal by students is the fruit of the 'Citizens in Uniform' project that has been ongoing since 2015," adding, "It signifies students transforming from passive participants to active citizens engaged in the decision-making and implementation processes of the school community."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.