National Education Commission Member Qualifications and Duties Specification Enforcement Decree Legislative Notice

Enforcement Decree of the National Education Commission Act and Regulations on the Establishment and Revision of the National Curriculum
Public Notice from January 12 to February 21
Citizens Can Participate in Curriculum Improvement with 100,000 Requests
Proposals for Establishment and Revision of the National Curriculum Possible with Over 200,000 Agreements

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] The Ministry of Education is revising the enforcement decree that outlines the qualifications and procedures for the members of the National Education Commission, which will be launched in July. If more than 100,000 citizens request, the commission must also decide whether to collect public opinions related to the National Education Development Plan.

On the 12th, the Ministry of Education announced that it will give a legislative notice by February 21 for the "Enforcement Decree on the Establishment and Operation of the National Education Commission" and the "Regulations on the Establishment and Revision of the National Curriculum."

As a follow-up measure to the National Education Commission Act, which will take effect on July 21, the decree specifies delegated matters and necessary details for implementation, such as the recommendation procedures for commission members and the standards, content, and procedures for the establishment and revision of the curriculum.

The National Education Commission must include at least two students and two parents each. The qualifications for members are defined as students currently enrolled in elementary, middle, or high school; youth aged 19 to 34; and parents with children in kindergarten, elementary, middle, high school, or university.

Teacher-related organizations eligible to recommend members are defined as teacher organizations organized centrally under the Framework Act on Education and nationwide teacher unions under the Teacher Labor Union Act. If a candidate holds multiple qualifications, only one profession can recommend them, and if they have both current and former status, the current status is prioritized for recommendation.

When the National Education Commission establishes the National Education Development Plan, it must include matters related to kindergarten, elementary, and secondary education, higher education, vocational and lifelong education, and must be established by March 31 of the year preceding the start year. Heads of related administrative agencies must establish annual implementation plans by December 31 each year.

To allow the general public to participate in curriculum improvement, if more than 100,000 people agree and request within 90 days, the National Education Commission must decide whether to proceed with public opinion collection and coordination procedures.

The advisory body, the Public Participation Committee, is to be composed of up to 500 members, with at least three-fifths selected through open recruitment targeting the general public. Additionally, persons recommended by provincial governors or provincial education superintendents will be appointed. Professional committees, including the National Curriculum Professional Committee, will be limited to five or fewer, each composed of up to 21 members.

From July, the National Education Commission will also be responsible for establishing and revising the national curriculum. However, for curricula under revision by the Minister of Education at the time the law takes effect, the Minister will announce them by the end of 2022 after review and resolution by the commission.

Proposals for establishing or revising the national curriculum can be initiated if more than 200,000 citizens agree within 30 days, or if the Minister of Education or more than half of the provincial education superintendents propose it. The National Education Commission will review and decide whether to initiate the proposal.

The procedure for establishing and revising the national curriculum follows the order: "investigation, analysis, and review ? proposal ? plan establishment ? development ? announcement," and at each stage, public opinion collection and social consensus processes may be conducted as needed.

To provide professional advice and preliminary review during the curriculum establishment and revision process, the National Curriculum Professional Committee may be established. It should be composed of up to 45 members, including various experts by school level and subject.

To collect field opinions on the national curriculum, "National Curriculum Monitoring Teams" can be operated by provincial education offices, by subject and school level. Participants may include teachers, education experts, education administrators, parents, figures from various social sectors, members of nonprofit organizations, local experts in various fields, and students.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Yoo Eun-hye said, "With the launch of the National Education Commission in July, which will present mid- to long-term development directions for education policy based on social consensus, we will prepare to ensure smooth progress."

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