[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Jun-kyung] On June 1, the local election voting day, candidates for Jeonnam Superintendent of Education appealed for final support and encouraged voting through social networking services (SNS).
This Jeonnam Superintendent of Education election is a three-way race among candidates Kim Dae-jung, Kim Dong-hwan, and Jang Seok-ung. Each candidate presents their own representative pledges regarding educational issues and challenges.
Candidate Kim Dae-jung stated, “Starting with regions at risk of regional extinction, I will provide an educational basic income of 200,000 KRW per student per month and create schools focused on studying,” adding, “To improve educational capacity, I will guarantee learning rights and establish teacher authority. I will build an evaluation system by growth stages and manage learning histories through diagnosis, learning, evaluation, and support.” He presented plans to enhance educational capacity.
His key pledges include ▲providing Jeonnam education basic income of 200,000 KRW per student per month ▲creating schools focused on studying by restoring teacher authority and student learning rights ▲assigning native-speaking instructors to all schools to support small schools ▲completing free school uniforms by supporting free sportswear ▲forming an integrated education promotion team as a permanent education cooperation body among local governments, councils, and education offices ▲introducing regional talent selection in the recruitment of educational administrative officials ▲reforming regional university Jeonnam Superintendent of Education recommended selection for Jeonnam secondary teacher appointments ▲restricting internet purchases and promoting purchases from local companies for school and institution supplies ▲restructuring specialized high school departments based on regional strategic industries and job bases (nationwide student recruitment) ▲establishing and operating a self-directed learning support center linked with AI learning systems ▲building customized AI learning systems by school level, subject, and individual ▲realizing Jeonnam-style online learning J·MOOC ▲establishing a learning history management system by school level to strengthen future competencies.
Candidate Kim Dong-hwan said, “I will pursue the essence of education to restore education and create a young, new, and harmonious Jeonnam education,” and announced, “I will improve the existing principal recruitment system from a public recruitment method to a direct election reflecting the opinions of school members.”
His main pledges include ▲abolishing forced transfers of teaching staff and gradually introducing a work system based on preferred living areas ▲expanding cafeteria staff and introducing regional base meal centers to provide breakfast and meals during vacations ▲implementing a direct election system for public principal recruitment reflecting parents’ opinions ▲autonomous academic achievement evaluation by school ▲raising Jeonnam Office of Education’s integrity to the top nationwide ▲establishing Jeonnam-style EduTown ▲supporting the nurturing of excellent high schools by region ▲restoring the national average level of CSAT scores ▲expanding environmental and ecological education ▲establishing a study abroad information support center ▲transforming all school science labs into creative learning spaces capable of maker education.
Candidate Jang Seok-ung stated, “Jeonnam education has risen from the periphery to become a nationwide educational model creating future alternatives through achievements over the past four years,” and proposed, “I will complete Jeonnam education innovation through 10 major pledges and focus on introducing future education so that Jeonnam students can fully realize their dreams and talents.”
The 10 key pledges are ▲full responsibility system for basic academic skills ▲reducing the number of students per class to 20 or fewer ▲supporting up to 2 million KRW annually for student educational activity expenses ▲building AI smart classrooms for customized student education support ▲realizing safe free care for children from arrival to departure ▲achieving complete free education for public and private kindergartens ▲supporting overseas experience and language training for students’ future challenges ▲establishing a ‘Startup and Employment Support Center’ for high school graduates ▲abolishing tuition fees at regional universities in the Honam area ▲returning closed schools as complex cultural spaces to revitalize the community through ‘education that energizes the region.’
For the Superintendent of Education election, political parties do not recommend candidates to ensure political neutrality in education, and the ballot lists only candidates’ names without party symbols. Therefore, it is important for voters to properly understand and compare each candidate’s key pledges before voting.
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