"1.7 Out of 5"... Teachers' Report Card for Three Years Under Lee Jungseon

Job Approval Rate at 3.6%... Teachers Say "Policies Have Lost Their Direction"
Basic Academic Skills and Digital Projects Repeated as Mere Showcases
Budget Focused on Outsourcing, Classroom Support Still Neglected
Restoring Trust with Teachers Is the Top Priority for the Remaining Year

"It is 1.7 out of 5 points. There may not even be a chance for a retake."

This is the overall assessment from field teachers regarding the three years under Superintendent Lee Jungseon of the Gwangju Metropolitan Office of Education. Teacher, public employee, and labor union organizations unanimously stated, "The essence of education has disappeared, and trust with the field has collapsed." Criticism continued that there was no clear policy direction, and only the superintendent's name remained.

On the morning of the 24th, the third-year evaluation discussion for Lee Jungseon, Superintendent of Gwangju Metropolitan Office of Education, was held in the 245 conference room of Jeonil Building in Dong-gu, Gwangju. On this day, Vice Principal Park Seonggwang, Branch Manager Kim Kyungmi, Chairman Park Samwon, and Director Baek Seongdong reviewed the materials before speaking. Photo by Song Bohyun

The discussion was held on the morning of July 24 at the medium conference room of Jeonil Building 245 in Dong-gu, Gwangju. Five organizations participated: Gwangju Practical Education Teachers' Association, Gwangju Branch of the Korean Women's Trade Union, Gwangju Teachers' Union, Gwangju Branch of the National Education Public Employees' Union, and Gwangju Branch of the National School Support Staff Union. Speakers reviewed Superintendent Lee Jungseon's past three years in detail, based on field surveys, internal union evaluations, and analysis of the education office's policies.

The first speaker, Park Seonggwang, vice principal of the Gwangju Practical Education Teachers' Association, pointed out, "The biggest problem with the education office is its lack of communication." He added, "The policy direction is ambiguous, and there is no vision to motivate teachers." He also said, "If teachers do not take action, education cannot achieve results, but that structure itself is not functioning." Regarding the Gwangju Metropolitan Office of Education's promotion of "less than 1% of students falling below basic academic standards" as an exemplary policy, he stated, "Many in the field say that the criteria and basis are unclear." He proposed that, for the remainder of the term, the superintendent should experience a day as a teacher, engage in practical dialogue with teachers, and reestablish classroom-centered policies such as restoring the 'Hope Classroom' and increasing class operation budgets.

Kim Kyungmi, head of the Gwangju Branch of the Korean Women's Trade Union, evaluated the education office's policies from the perspective of public employees, based on survey results. She said, "Only 16% responded that field opinions were reflected in the implementation of pledged projects, and only 16% gave a positive response regarding budget transparency." There was also criticism that as the budget focused on short-term outsourcing projects, school discretionary projects were being reduced. Projects such as the distribution of smart devices, laptop replacements, and digital textbook initiatives were evaluated as "typical examples of budget waste, enforced without field preparation." She added, "The workload for public employees has increased, but welfare and training opportunities remain the same," emphasizing that psychological stability and improvement of the working environment are urgently needed.

Park Samwon, chairman of the Gwangju Teachers' Union, revealed the results of an internal union survey, stating, "Only 3.6% gave a positive evaluation of job performance, while negative evaluations reached 78.2%. It was to the point that we were worried people might suspect manipulation." He pointed out, "Starting with the abolition of the Hope Classroom, the superintendent's attention shifted away from education to external projects, media publicity, and contact with parents, while teachers themselves were excluded from policy." He also mentioned the repeated implementation of initiatives such as the class certification system. He continued, "While the superintendent was under search and seizure, as well as police and prosecution investigations, he was unable to properly attend official events, and public employees had to work while watching the leader's mood." He added, "Whenever a difficult issue arose, he would leave the country, and even now, when there is severe flooding nationwide, the superintendent is staying in the United States," urging, "Focus on the essence of education for the remaining year."

Baek Seongdong, policy director of the Gwangju Branch of the Korean Teachers and Education Workers' Union, said, "Superintendent Lee Jungseon's job performance rating stands at 1.7 out of 5 points," adding, "It is at a level where there is not even a chance for a retake." He stated, "The past three years under Superintendent Lee have been perceived as a period in which teachers became increasingly marginalized under the name of 'innovation,' and the substance of policies and the sincerity of communication have regressed." He emphasized, "Unless teacher- and classroom-centered education is restored, teachers' collective warning is that the situation is unlikely to change significantly in the next evaluation either." Regarding the recent principal's human rights violation incident at an elementary school in Gwangju, he said, "The voices of teachers and students were ignored, and only the principal's position was heard before the case was closed," adding, "There appears to be an intention to even downplay evidence of teacher rights violations." He also stated, "Teachers have continuously proposed measures for improvement, but the education office has consistently ignored them."

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