Ministry of Legislation and Ministry of Personnel Innovation's First Implementation of 'Reverse School'... Three Juniors as Mentors to One Senior from Another Agency

by Choi Sukjin

Published 11 Apr.2023 12:36(KST)

Updated 11 Apr.2023 17:45(KST)

A reverse mentoring system, where junior public officials from other agencies advise senior public officials, will be implemented for the first time.

The Ministry of Government Legislation and the Ministry of Personnel Management announced on the 11th that they will launch the 'Reverse School,' a program where young junior public officials can meet and advise senior public officials from other agencies, starting with a joint workshop.

A scene from the 'Reverse School (Reverse Mentoring)' mentor workshop jointly organized by the Ministry of Government Legislation and the Ministry of Personnel Management on the 11th.
[Photo by Ministry of Government Legislation]

'Reverse School' is a new term coined by the Ministry of Government Legislation and the Ministry of Personnel Management to describe a completely opposite approach to the traditional mentoring system, where young junior public officials become advisors (mentors) to senior public officials.

The Reverse School will freely recruit employees who wish to participate, forming groups of one senior public official from one agency and three junior public officials from the other agency. These groups will enroll in and graduate from the Reverse School together.

The curriculum of the Reverse School consists of ▲basic courses such as how to use ChatGPT and sharing favorite content ▲advanced courses involving asking each other 10 curious questions ▲and liberal arts courses covering topics like bad practices to discard, good cultures to foster, and effective policy promotion methods for youth. All senior public officials (mentees) must complete at least one course to graduate.

For example, three junior public officials from the Ministry of Personnel Management will become young advisors to one senior public official from the Ministry of Government Legislation, and conversely, three junior public officials from the Ministry of Government Legislation will become advisors to one senior public official from the Ministry of Personnel Management. They will coordinate their schedules freely within their groups to communicate and complete the courses together.

It is reported that the recruitment of MZ generation officials and administrative officers as advisors (mentors) for the Reverse School was quickly filled due to expectations that close exchanges between employees of the Ministry of Government Legislation and the Ministry of Personnel Management will generate positive collaborative synergy in the future.

Lee Wankyu, head of the Ministry of Government Legislation, said, "I hope that the Reverse School, jointly promoted with the Ministry of Personnel Management, will become an excellent example of collaboration that spreads a horizontal and flexible public service culture, boosting the morale of young public officials and serving as a catalyst for change in the public sector." He added, "Taking this collaboration as an opportunity, we will further expand exchanges between the two ministries to maximize positive effects when formulating policies that require cooperation."

Kim Seungho, head of the Ministry of Personnel Management, responded, "The inter-ministerial Reverse School will not only encourage sincere advice from MZ generation public officials but also increase mutual exchanges, becoming a good opportunity for innovation in public service culture. If the Reverse School spreads to ministries where consultation is essential due to the nature of policies, it will greatly help in formulating policies that meet the public’s expectations based on mutual understanding between agencies."

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Government Legislation and the Ministry of Personnel Management have been operating reverse mentoring within their organizations for several years, where senior officials including agency heads and directors at the national and division levels communicate with MZ generation public officials to foster a culture of mutual respect.