Gwangju City Council and Jeon-gyo-jo Engage in Heated Debate Over 'Abolition of On-site Training' Pros and Cons

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Yoon Jamin] The Gwangju Metropolitan Council and the Gwangju branch of the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union (JeonGyoJo) held a heated debate on the abolition and improvement measures of on-site training on the 25th.

The Gwangju Metropolitan Council announced on the 26th that it held a ‘Discussion on the Problems of Vocational High School On-site Training and Normalization of the Curriculum’ together with the Gwangju branch of JeonGyoJo.

The chairperson of the discussion was Councilor Jang Yeonju (Justice Party proportional representation) of Gwangju.

Councilor Jang explained the purpose of the discussion with a greeting, saying, “Let us propose fundamental measures regarding the vocational high school on-site training system so that incidents like the death of student Hong Jeongwoon in Yeosu, Jeonnam last October do not recur.”

Teacher Lim Dongheon of Electronic Industry High School suggested in his presentation, “After the death of student Lee Minho in 2018, the Ministry of Education promoted a learning-centered on-site training system, but accidents happened again,” and proposed, “The abolition of on-site training is the answer, and instead, let us establish a ‘National Youth Employment Center.’”

Another presenter, Yeon Siyoung, Vice Chairperson of the National Specialized High School Labor Union, argued, “On-site training is necessary for employment, and whether students or graduates, the workplace is equally dangerous,” and insisted, “Labor rights education should be strengthened so that they can protect their own rights.”

Panelists Kim Ryuhan, Chairperson of the Gwangju Vocational Education Committee of JeonGyoJo, and Lee Seunghui, Director of the Gwangju Youth Labor Rights Center, expressed the position that “the on-site training system, which is used as low-wage labor rather than education, must be abolished.”

Teacher Park Eunju of Gwangju Girls’ Commercial High School said, “Most commercial high school students have a structure where training leads to employment,” and opposed “uniformly regulating all on-site training.”

Also, a supervisor of the Vocational Education Team of the Gwangju Office of Education explained the education office’s improvement plan, saying that it is necessary to undergo at least about three months of on-site training before graduation.

Councilor Jang said, “Although the positions for problem-solving differ, the intention is the same to ensure that vocational high school students can get jobs in safe workplaces and live healthy social lives,” and added, “Let us expand the public discourse from now on.”

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