Im Tae-hee Preliminary Candidate "Gyeonggi Office of Education's '9 AM School Start System' is a Representative Example of Uncommunicative Administration"

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Im Tae-hee, a preliminary candidate for Gyeonggi Province Superintendent of Education, strongly criticized the Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education's unilateral full implementation of the 9 a.m. school start system as a representative example of uncommunicative administration.

In a press release on the 10th, candidate Im stated, "The 9 a.m. school start system was a pledge made by Superintendent Lee Jae-jung of Gyeonggi Province to give students sufficient sleep time and allow them to have breakfast with their families," adding, "Since the 9 a.m. school start system was uniformly implemented in over 90% of elementary, middle, and high schools in the province from September 1, 2014, the focus was only on the specific start time of 9 a.m., while the essential issue of whether breakfast with family was actually possible was neglected, causing controversy."

He further said, "As a result of collecting opinions from various regions, it was concluded that the 9 a.m. school start system is not something to be applied uniformly considering local circumstances and family realities," and criticized, "The unilateral full implementation of the 9 a.m. school start system is a typical case of uncommunicative administration that infringes on the autonomy of frontline schools."

Candidate Im particularly pointed out, "If all working parents leave for work, students stay home alone until before 9 a.m. and then go to school; I don't understand how families can have breakfast together," adding, "Students living in the outskirts of Gyeonggi Province have buses only once every one or two hours, so if they are told to arrive at school by 9 a.m., does that mean children who arrive early have to wait outside the school gate? Applying the 9 a.m. start uniformly without knowing local conditions is an abuse of authority."

Therefore, he insisted, "The problematic uniform '9 a.m. school start system' should be abolished, and autonomy should be granted to schools to set start times according to local circumstances."