Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongnam Superintendents Urge "Urgent Educational System Reform"... Propose Six Key Education Policies to Presidential Candidates

Six Key Agendas:
Stable Management of Local Education Finances,
Protection of Teachers' Rights,
Normalization of Public Education, and More

Kim Seokjun, Superintendent of the Busan Metropolitan City Office of Education; Cheon Changsu, Superintendent of the Ulsan Metropolitan City Office of Education; and Park Jonghun, Superintendent of the Gyeongsangnam-do Office of Education, have taken joint action for the future of education in South Korea. On May 13, these superintendents held a policy meeting and officially proposed six key educational policy agendas to the presidential candidates.

From the left, Park Jonghun, Superintendent of Gyeongsangnam-do Office of Education; Kim Seokjun, Superintendent of Busan Metropolitan City Office of Education; Cheon Changsu, Superintendent of Ulsan Metropolitan City Office of Education.

This proposal includes core tasks for transforming the educational system, such as strengthening the public nature of education, protecting teachers' rights, normalizing public education, and expanding social care. The superintendents unanimously stated, "Education is the very foundation for sustainable national growth and balanced regional development."

The superintendents identified the stable securing of local education finances as the first priority. Key points include legislating the state's responsibility for funding free high school education, ending the use of local education grant funds for higher and lifelong education, extending the special account for early childhood education support, and increasing special grants related to basic academic skills. They also emphasized expanding the autonomy of local education finance management and increasing the state's fiscal responsibility in both education and care services.

The second agenda is to strengthen the legal protection of teachers. They pointed out that the amendment to the "Act on the Prevention and Compensation of School Safety Accidents," scheduled to take effect in 2025, is insufficient for the substantial protection of teachers' rights. The superintendents called for the explicit inclusion of criminal liability immunity provisions in the "Act on the Status of Teachers."

The third agenda involves reforming the college admissions system to normalize public education. The superintendents proposed introducing absolute grading for both the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) and school records, and transforming the CSAT into a qualification exam to restore the essence of high school education. They also aim to eliminate university hierarchies and foster local talent by providing free tuition and financial support to regional national universities.

The fourth agenda is to increase the number of teachers and local government officials. The superintendents suggested shifting the staffing standard from the number of students to the number of classes, allocating additional staff to small schools, increasing the number of local government officials, and expanding autonomy in the management of temporary teachers.

The fifth agenda includes restructuring the social care system. The superintendents proposed integrating the currently fragmented care functions of various ministries into a single "National Care Agency" and reducing the care roles within schools so that schools can focus on their core educational mission. They specifically emphasized halting the expansion of Neulbom Schools and gradually separating care and education functions.

The final agenda is to expand support for school cultural and arts education. The superintendents pointed out that budget cuts by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism have undermined the operation of arts instructors, and they called for more active budget allocation and policy support from the ministry.

The three superintendents stressed, "The driving force that built today's South Korea, and the power that will open its future, ultimately come from education," adding, "A transformation of the national educational system is desperately needed."

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