Lee Hyuk-je, Jeonnam Provincial Council Member, Demands Expansion of Jeonnam-style Diagnostic Evaluation Implementation

Jeonnam Students Seek Academic Improvement for Advancement to Higher Education Institutions

Lee Hyuk-je, Jeonnam Provincial Assembly Member

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Jun-gyeong] Lee Hyuk-je, a member of the Jeonnam Provincial Council (Mokpo 4), demanded the expansion of diagnostic assessments to include all students from upper elementary grades and above during the special account budget review for Jeonnam Provincial Office of Education.

According to Assemblyman Lee Hyuk-je on the 29th, the Jeonnam Provincial Council research group, ‘Visiting Jeonnam Education Policy Research Association,’ conducted a survey on the direction of Jeonnam education policy in August through Korea Information Research, a professional public opinion survey agency.

In the survey item “Where should the focus of Jeonnam school education be?” among 1,645 Jeonnam residents aged 18 and over, 57.7% answered character education and 22.0% answered academic improvement for advancement to higher education. However, among 470 middle and high school students, 43.4% answered character education and 43.4% answered academic improvement, showing a divided opinion.

Assemblyman Lee Hyuk-je pointed out, “In the service report conducted by the Jeonnam Provincial Council last August, parents and teachers answered that character cultivation is the most important educational direction, but students actually demanded academic improvement for advancement to higher education. Many students and parents passed the first round of early admission but failed the final admission due to not meeting the minimum CSAT scores.”

He added, “The Jeonnam Office of Education, which was the first in the nation to implement the Basic Academic Skills Dedicated Teacher System, received the grand prize in government innovation excellence cases, showing that the provincial education office also recognizes the importance of academic improvement and is implementing various policies.”

He continued, “I understand that they are preparing diagnostic assessments recognizing the need for accurate diagnosis for academic improvement. However, judging from recent trends, it seems that the diagnostic assessment has been limited to 9th grade students due to some criticisms that it is a ranking-style test like the past nationwide exams.”

In response, Education Director Wi Kyung-jong said, “We recognize the importance of academic skills and are trying to fill in the gaps through accurate diagnosis. However, there are concerns externally that it is a ranking-style nationwide exam. The Jeonnam Office of Education will strengthen teachers’ test creation capabilities and create different types of questions such as Type A, B, and C for schools to choose from, so that students with lower scores do not lose their self-esteem. This year, the test will be conducted in December targeting 9th grade students.”

Assemblyman Lee Hyuk-je strongly asserted, “Hiding students with low academic skills is like letting a disease worsen. It is the duty of educators to provide accurate diagnosis and appropriate prescriptions, and neglecting this as is currently done is dereliction of duty.”

He also stated, “We will revise the ‘Jeollanam-do Office of Education Basic Academic Support Ordinance,’ which was the first in the nation to be proposed, changing the diagnostic test from a discretionary provision to a mandatory provision.”