Board of Audit and Inspection: "Jeonnam Office of Education Changes Performance Evaluation Scores to Favor Headquarters Staff"

Adjustment of General Civil Servants' Work Performance Ratings and Promotion Candidates... Arbitrary Downgrading of Promotion Candidate Lists

[Asia Economy Reporter Ryu Jeong-min] The Board of Education of Jeollanam-do has been reported by the Board of Audit and Inspection to have altered the Work Performance Evaluation Scores (Geunpyeongjeom) to favor employees working at the headquarters during the promotion candidate selection process.

On the 14th, the Board of Audit and Inspection announced the results of an audit covering personnel, contracts, and major project implementation across the Jeollanam-do and Jeju Special Self-Governing Province Boards of Education.

Since the first half of 2018 until the second half of 2020, the Jeonnam Office of Education has reflected the Geunpyeongjeom, reviewed and decided by the Work Performance Evaluation Committee, in the promotion candidate list for general service public officials at grade 5 and below.

According to the Local Public Officials Evaluation Rules under the Superintendent of Education, the ranking order in the evaluation unit list submitted to the Evaluation Committee cannot be changed. The Jeonnam Office of Education, in January last year, confirmed the Geunpyeongjeom for general service grade 7 public officials for the second half of 2019, including deciding Mr. A’s score as 69.4 points.

However, personnel officers, under the pretext of favoring headquarters employees, changed Mr. A’s Geunpyeongjeom from 69.4 points to 70 points (ranking in the evaluation unit changed from 4th to 3rd), thereby raising the ranking order on the promotion candidate list to enable Mr. A and others to be promoted.

Furthermore, personnel officers at the Jeonnam Office of Education adjusted the Geunpyeongjeom for five low-experience employees, including Mr. B (those with a short tenure at their current grade), lowering their scores from 69 to 42.9 points in the first half of 2017 when they appeared on the promotion candidate list. They judged that if low-experience employees were promoted, the reliability of personnel management could be compromised.

The Board of Audit and Inspection pointed out, "The Geunpyeongjeom for five low-experience employees was arbitrarily changed to lower their ranking on the promotion candidate list. As a result, some candidates eligible for promotion were not promoted, and low-experience employees did not even get the opportunity to be considered for promotion, undermining the fairness of promotion personnel affairs."

The Board of Audit and Inspection requested the Jeonnam Superintendent of Education to discipline (at least a mild disciplinary action) three related personnel who improperly handled the work performance evaluation tasks of general service public officials. Additionally, they requested a warning for one related person who neglected the preparation of the promotion candidate list for general service public officials.