Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education Reconciliation Mediation Committee Resolves 88% of Conflicts in Schools

Strengthening the Response Capacity of the Reconciliation Mediation Group for Systematic Early Support of Conflict Issues
1,004 Mediation Committee Members with Expertise in Reconciliation Mediation Active in 25 Education Support Offices
Distribution of Gyeonggi-type Reconciliation Mediation Manual to Enhance the Response Capacity of the Reconciliation Mediation Group

A view of the Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education Southern Building.

The Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education's Reconciliation Mediation Committee has facilitated reconciliation in approximately 88%, or 823 cases, out of 936 mediation requests as of August. For over 2,300 school violence cases, they operated relationship restoration programs to prevent escalation of conflicts and to curb school violence.

The Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education (Superintendent Lim Tae-hee) is strengthening the response capabilities of the Reconciliation Mediation Committees in 25 educational support offices to provide systematic early support for conflicts within schools.

The Reconciliation Mediation Committee is an advisory body within the educational support offices that mediates and reconciles conflicts in schools, such as school violence, violations of student rights, and disruptions to educational activities, aiming to restore relationships between conflicting parties and achieve educational solutions focused on growth.

Currently, 1,004 mediation committee members with expertise in reconciliation mediation are active across the 25 educational support offices.

The Provincial Office of Education has developed the Gyeonggi-style Reconciliation Mediation Manual to educationally resolve conflicts between mediation committee members and school members.

This manual guides the meaning and operation methods of reconciliation mediation based on restorative justice and includes detailed content on three practical areas: ▲ Gyeonggi-style standard reconciliation mediation step-by-step scenarios ▲ Gyeonggi-style standard reconciliation mediation procedures ▲ roles of mediators and communication skills.

The Provincial Office of Education aims to enhance the expertise of mediation committee members and strengthen early intervention and customized support for conflicts by utilizing this manual.

A teacher who participated in reconciliation mediation shared, “In a situation where the victimized student and their parents were struggling with psychological shock and unable to communicate with each other, through conversations with the mediator and attending preliminary and main mediation sessions, they were able to express their mental suffering and family pain to the perpetrator, taking a step toward healing.”

Lee Ji-myeong, Director of the Life Character Education Division at the Provincial Office of Education, said, “The role of the Reconciliation Mediation Committee is very important to educationally resolve conflicts within schools,” adding, “We will create a healthy and safe educational environment through reconciliation mediation.”

She further emphasized, “We are working to revise related legal provisions to provide systematic early support for conflicts within schools.”

Meanwhile, the Provincial Office of Education has secured and hired mediation support lawyers in seven educational support offices organized by two bureaus (Gwangju-Hanam, Bucheon, Siheung, Anyang-Gwacheon, Ansan, Paju, Pyeongtaek), expanding from the previous six educational support offices organized by three bureaus, to provide prompt legal support.

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