[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Jun-kyung] The Jeollanam-do Office of Education Public Officials Labor Union has strongly opposed the statement released by Superintendent Jang Seok-woong regarding the investigation results of the blackout screen supply corruption case.
On the 12th, the union stated in a press release, “Superintendent Jang Seok-woong issued a statement through the internal network for teachers and staff in Jeonnam,” and “The statement only mentioned the investigation results announced by the Jeonnam Provincial Police Agency on the 5th, which attributed the crisis of trust in Jeonnam education to the roller screen supply corruption.”
They continued, “The crisis of trust in Jeonnam education was actually caused by various issues such as negligence in exam management at Wando A High School, school violence, the principal recruitment system, principal abuse of power, and gender sensitivity problems, all of which have lowered trust in Jeonnam education,” and strongly criticized, “Mentioning only the supply corruption as the cause of the trust crisis in Jeonnam education is divisive.”
Furthermore, they said, “When contracts are pursued at the regional education office, no contract can proceed without the approval of the education chief, who is the contract officer. Despite this clear accounting management system structure, the statement did not mention any fault of the education chief and instead implied that only general staff were at fault for the roller screen supply corruption. This kind of statement does not rebuild trust but rather divides the members,” sharply criticizing.
A union official said, “The blackout screen issue, as if only general staff are responsible and not teachers, shocked the general staff greatly due to Superintendent Jang’s statement,” and demanded, “Superintendent Jang should stop preferential policies focused on teachers and properly supervise and direct school principals and education chiefs so that general staff can work with conviction according to laws and principles at schools and regional offices.”
Earlier, the Jeonnam police referred 12 public officials affiliated with the Office of Education to the prosecution on charges of bribery and violation of the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act, and imposed fines on 45 public officials for violating the same act.
In response, Superintendent Jang Seok-woong issued a statement on the 11th regarding the blackout screen supply corruption investigation, saying, “Let us renew our resolve and work together to restore trust in Jeonnam education.”
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