[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Geon-ju] The Jeonbuk Provincial Office of Education and the Jeonbuk Provincial Council appear to be engaged in a power struggle over the institution's 'name.'
The Provincial Council proposed changing the names of some education-related institutions from 'Jeollabuk-do' to 'Jeollabuk-do Office of Education,' but the Office of Education insists that the existing names are fine and questions the necessity of the change, leading to a tense standoff.
According to the Jeonbuk Office of Education on the 29th, it sent a request for reconsideration regarding the 'Jeollabuk-do Office of Education Administrative Organization Establishment Ordinance,' which the Provincial Council notified of its resolution on the 11th.
A request for reconsideration means raising objections to a resolved agenda and asking for it to be resolved again.
In other words, the Office of Education's position is that the ordinance promoted by the Provincial Council has issues and should be reexamined.
The core of the revised ordinance, which sparked the issue, is to insert the three words 'Jeollabuk-do Office of Education' in place of 'Jeollabuk-do' in the names of six directly affiliated institutions of the Office of Education (Jeollabuk-do Education Training Institute, Jeollabuk-do Science Education Institute, Jeollabuk-do Education Research Information Institute, Jeollabuk-do Student Training Center, Jeollabuk-do Student Marine Training Center, Jeollabuk-do Early Childhood Education Promotion Institute).
Additionally, the Jeollabuk-do Education and Culture Center and the Mahan Education and Culture Center would be renamed to include the names of their respective cities, becoming Jeonju Education and Culture Center and Iksan Education and Culture Center.
The Provincial Council's stance is that since these institutions are related to the Office of Education, using 'Jeollabuk-do Office of Education' would prevent confusion.
When the Provincial Council seriously pushed for the ordinance enactment, the Office of Education reacted strongly.
They claimed the Provincial Council's actions were an overreach and sought to halt the process.
The Office of Education's main position is that changing well-established and familiar names that resonate with residents, causing potential confusion, is unjustified.
Especially since there is a Superintendent of Education responsible for Jeonbuk education, the Office of Education argues that it can use the term 'Jeollabuk-do,' and voices are rising that the Provincial Council is exceeding its authority.
The Office of Education cited the reasons for the request for reconsideration as the infringement on the Superintendent's authority to 'establish and operate institutions and enact naming rights' and the Provincial Council's preemptive and active intervention beyond its oversight scope.
An Office of Education official stated, "This proposal or request for disapproval is the first since Superintendent Kim took office," and added, "Educational organizations and civic groups in the province are voicing concerns about the name change because the Provincial Council did not conduct surveys with the primary users of the eight directly affiliated institutions subject to the name change."
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