Court Rules "Cancellation of Daewon International Middle and Yeonghun International Middle as Specialized Middle Schools is Unjust"

Cho Hee-yeon, Superintendent of Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education / Photo by Jin-hyung Kang aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] A court ruling has determined that the administrative sanction by the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education to cancel the designation of Daewon International Middle School and Yeonghun International Middle School as specialized middle schools was illegal and must be revoked.

On the 17th, the 14th Administrative Division of the Seoul Administrative Court (Chief Judge Lee Sanghoon) ruled in favor of the plaintiffs in the first trial of the lawsuit filed by Daewon International Middle School and Yeonghun International Middle School against Seoul Mayor of Education Cho Hee-yeon, seeking to cancel the cancellation of their specialized middle school designation. If this ruling is finalized, the cancellation by the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education will lose its effect.

Previously, in June 2020, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education announced it would cancel the designation of these schools as specialized international middle schools (International Middle Schools) based on the evaluation of their performance in operating international specialized middle schools.

At that time, Superintendent Cho stated, "It undermines the fundamental value of guaranteeing equal educational opportunities to all students at the compulsory middle school education stage and strengthening the public nature of education," adding, "It is rather perceived as a hierarchical school system, encouraging private education."

Schools and parents opposed this, arguing that the evaluation criteria scores were raised and that the Office of Education's decision not to re-designate the international middle schools reflected a political decision. However, the Ministry of Education agreed with the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education's sanction.

Daewon International Middle School and Yeonghun International Middle School filed a lawsuit, claiming, "The education authorities had already concluded to cancel the designation and conducted a hasty evaluation."

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