Jeon Nam-do Councilor Lee Gwang-il, Budget Cut for New Kitchen Assistant Recruitment

Lee Gwang-il, Jeonnam Provincial Assembly Member

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Jun-kyung] Lee Kwang-il, a member of the Jeonnam Provincial Assembly (Democratic Party of Korea·Yeosu 1), has drastically cut the budget for newly hiring kitchen assistants.

According to Assemblyman Lee Kwang-il on the 3rd, as a result of the first supplementary budget review for 2021 by the Jeonnam Office of Education, 520 million KRW allocated for personnel expenses to newly hire 53 kitchen assistants was cut. There are about 2,390 kitchen assistants in Jeonnam Province who perform cooking duties for student meals in school cafeterias.

This year’s budget for the Office of Education decreased by 227 billion KRW compared to last year due to a decline in domestic taxes and the number of students, with personnel expenses accounting for 64% of the total budget.

The number of students in Jeonnam, which is the biggest criterion for local education grants, decreased by 9,481 from 212,092 in 2019 to 202,611 this year, and is expected to decrease by 9,964 by 2024. On the other hand, the number of kitchen assistants increased by 91 from 2,308 in 2019 to 2,390 this year.

This is because the placement standard for kitchen assistants was lowered from one per 150 students last year to one per 140 students in kindergarten and elementary schools, and one per 130 students in middle, high, and special schools, thereby increasing personnel.

Assemblyman Lee Kwang-il pointed out, “Due to the COVID-19 situation, the number of school days for students decreased from 190 to an average of 170 days, a reduction of 20 days. With fewer school days and fewer students, hiring more kitchen assistants is neither budget-efficient nor timely,” and added, “Personnel exchanges among kitchen assistants should be conducted to reassign staff between schools with low and high work intensity.”

He also emphasized, “The labor intensity of cooking duties varies depending on the number of students and working conditions,” and “a balanced personnel standard should be established to alleviate labor intensity.”

Furthermore, he argued, “With the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, students’ academic achievement is declining and the gap in academic performance is widening,” and “budget should be invested in improving academic achievement rather than increasing the number of kitchen assistants.”