Jeonnam Superintendent of Education Kim Dae-jung to 'Promote' Student Education Allowance Payment Starting Next Year

On the 11th, Superintendent Kim Dae-jung held a 100-day inauguration press conference in the provincial education office's conference room.

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Jun-kyung] Kim Dae-jung, Superintendent of Education for Jeonnam, plans to promote the payment of a ‘Student Education Allowance’ starting next year for elementary students in 16 counties of Jeonnam.

On the morning of the 11th, Superintendent Kim stated at a 100-day inauguration press conference held in the Jeonnam Office of Education’s conference room, “Starting next year, we will prioritize providing the ‘Student Education Allowance’ to elementary students in the 16 counties of Jeonnam, which are facing population extinction.”

He added, “Some cities and counties, such as Gangjin, are taking an active stance, but there are differences among the cities and counties. We are refining the policy with the Jeonnam Provincial Council and will coordinate through consultations with local governments. Although there are difficulties such as budget issues and social security system discussions, the entire educational community will work together to make this a reality.”

Superintendent Kim expressed opposition to the Ministry of Education’s policy on reducing the number of teachers.

He said, “The Office of Education has continuously emphasized the need to secure teacher quotas considering the regional conditions of Jeonnam, which has many small schools in farming and fishing villages. The policy to reduce teachers greatly worsens the educational environment in regions with many small schools in farming and fishing villages,” urging its withdrawal.

He also pointed out, “The Ministry of Education notified a reduction of 50 elementary and 279 secondary teachers for next year’s teacher quota in the Office of Education. This is a short-sighted view reflecting only the immediate reality of declining student numbers and raises serious concerns as it approaches education from an economic logic perspective.”

He continued, “A rapid reduction in teachers will severely deteriorate Jeonnam’s educational environment, infringe on students’ right to learn, and lead to a decline in the quality of education. The Ministry of Education’s teacher quota allocation criteria based on student numbers do not fit Jeonnam’s educational conditions, which include many small schools.”

Furthermore, he stated, “The Office of Education will temporarily secure as many non-quota contract teachers as possible to prevent infringement on children’s learning rights and to resolve difficulties in operating school curricula. Any shortage will be addressed by allocating budget support to schools, and autonomy regarding the operation of non-quota contract teachers will also be secured.”

He added, “We will seek measures by cooperating with the National Association of Superintendents of Education and the political sphere. We strongly demand that the Ministry of Education establish a new teacher supply system reflecting regional educational conditions for the stable operation of curricula.”

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