Gwangju and Jeonnam Offices of Education to Integrate After 40 Years... Unifying 679 Ordinances Begins

Priority Integration of 100 Essential Ordinances to Take Effect Immediately Upon Launch

With the impending integration of educational administration after 40 years, the Jeonnam Provincial Office of Education and the Gwangju Metropolitan Office of Education have begun a comprehensive overhaul of local ordinances to ensure the successful launch of the 'Jeonnam-Gwangju Unified Metropolitan Office of Education.'

According to both offices on April 20, this revision of local ordinances aims to resolve conflicts and redundancies arising from dualized regulations. The goal is to establish a unified administrative system, thereby enhancing policy consistency and external credibility for the unified office of education.

Jeonnam Provincial Office of Education building view

Particular emphasis has been placed on preventing administrative confusion that may arise during the initial phase of the launch and maintaining continuity of educational services. Currently, the Jeonnam Office of Education holds 361 local ordinances, while the Gwangju Office of Education has 318.

The two organizations have formed a working-level consultative body and have selected 100 essential local ordinances, which are required to be applied immediately after integration, as their top priority for integration. The revision process will proceed in stages, following the principles of 'essential → stabilization → unification → completion.'

Before the launch of the unified office of education, core ordinances related to institutional operations, financial management, and execution will be prioritized. After the launch, the plan is to gradually unify the remaining ordinances, comprehensively reflecting regional characteristics and stakeholder interests.

Starting this month with the preparation of the unified ordinance proposal, the process will continue with a legislative notice and joint review in May, followed by a report to the transition committee and finalization of the legislative bill in June. The plan is to promulgate and enforce the unified ordinances simultaneously with the launch of the unified office of education on July 1. Ordinances requiring specific political considerations will be handled according to separate plans, and additional ordinances for integration will continue to be identified beyond the essential regulations.

Administrative efficiency will also be improved. Previously, preliminary legislative procedures such as legislative notice, gender impact assessment, and corruption impact assessment were handled individually by each department. Moving forward, the departments responsible for legislative affairs at both offices of education will jointly carry out these tasks, thereby reducing the workload of frontline departments and facilitating faster legislative processes.

Additionally, to significantly enhance the autonomy and expertise of the unified office of education, the enactment of local ordinances delegated by special laws will proceed in parallel. These include special provisions for the designation, establishment, and operation of gifted schools; special provisions for the establishment and operation of foreign educational institutions; special provisions for the assignment of duties to deputy superintendents and authority over educational autonomy; and the formation of the Regional Education Development Committee.

Lee Seon-guk, Director of Administration at the Jeonnam Office of Education, stated, "This integration of local ordinances goes beyond mere institutional revision. It marks a substantial first step toward creating a single educational community for Gwangju and Jeonnam. We will do our utmost to ensure that the new era of educational autonomy begins smoothly on July 1 through thorough legislative and administrative preparations."

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