“Starting from the Voices of the Classroom”… Superintendent Seokjun Kim Discusses the Future of Busan Education with Teachers

Superintendent Seokjun Kim of the Busan Metropolitan Office of Education arranged a meeting to sit face-to-face with teachers and listen directly to the voices from the field.

Superintendent Seokjun Kim is having a "Conversation with Teachers" session and taking a commemorative photo. Photo by Busan Metropolitan Office of Education

This was a time for teachers and the superintendent to come together and discuss key issues in Busan’s education, such as teacher personnel matters, protection of teachers’ rights, and changes in the educational environment.

On the afternoon of July 15, Superintendent Kim held the "2025 Conversation with Teachers" at the international conference room in the annex of the Busan Metropolitan Office of Education, engaging in in-depth communication with about 70 teachers from kindergartens, elementary, middle, high, and special schools for approximately two hours. The event was divided into two sessions, focusing on improvements to teacher personnel and rights protection, the high school credit system, policies for specialized high schools, and Busan-style online lectures.

Superintendent Kim stated, "Since my inauguration in April, I have worked tirelessly for 100 days to normalize education in Busan," adding, "Today’s conversation with teachers is the starting point for hearing the real voices from the educational field."

On this day, teachers candidly shared urgent realities and alternative solutions from the field, such as the need for increased kindergarten teacher recruitment, alleviating excessive workloads, ensuring teacher participation in the Teacher Rights Protection Committee, the push to convert specialized high schools into general high schools, demands for the high school credit system, and the establishment of new special schools.

In response, Superintendent Kim said, "We will secure a budget to improve the operation of substitute kindergarten teachers, and ensure that at least one teacher participates in the Teacher Rights Protection Committee." He added, "We will also adjust the meeting times to the afternoon to lower the barriers for teacher participation."

He further emphasized, "The much-debated 'Busan-style online lectures' will only be operated until the second semester and will then be phased out. We are considering alternatives that fit a student-centered learning environment."

Regarding the continuation of the 'Morning Change' program, which teachers suggested to help them focus solely on teaching, Superintendent Kim stated, "From next year, schools that wish to implement it will be able to do so autonomously." On the issue of improving the Busan-style Neulbom School, he added, "We recognize the problems caused by its hasty introduction, and a task force is currently discussing improvement measures."

He concluded by saying, "I will carefully review each suggestion made today and work to create an environment where teachers can focus solely on teaching," and emphasized, "We will center our policies on the field so that Busan education can return to the classroom."

This conversation was broadcast live on YouTube, allowing general school staff to participate in real time. The Office of Education also plans to continue expanding 'direct communication channels between classrooms and the education office' in the future.

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