Seoul Foreign Language High School Selected as 'Public-Type Private School'... Second After Chungam High School

Operation as a Public-Type Private School from October... 1.2 Billion KRW Support Over 3 Years
At Least One-Third of School Foundation Executives Appointed by Education Office Recommendation
Submission of Audit and Accounting Reports and Disclosure of Legal Burden Rate on Corporate Contributions

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] Seoul Foreign Language High School has been selected as a public-type private school. It is the second after Chungam High School.

On the 2nd, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education announced that Seoul Foreign Language High School will be operated as a public-type private school from the 1st of this month through a public contest. This is the second designation following Chungam High School, which was designated as Seoul's first public-type private school in November last year.

A public-type private school is an innovative private school model that enhances the public nature of decision-making by appointing some of the school corporation executives as education office recommended members, and provides high-quality educational services through stable administrative and financial support and transparent and democratic school management.

Seoul Foreign Language High School will establish and operate plans for the next four years including △formation and operation of a public-type board of directors △expansion of public nature in personnel management △strengthening transparency of corporation and school finances △democratic school culture △improvement of faculty professionalism.

When designated as a public-type private school, the board of directors must appoint education office recommended directors to at least one-third but less than one-half of the total members, and include one education office recommended director in the teacher disciplinary committee.

To strengthen financial transparency, the school must submit audit accounting reports recommended by the education office and disclose the corporation's burden rate of statutory charges. While actively promoting education office policy projects, participation in education programs hosted by the education office is mandatory to improve faculty professionalism.

The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education plans to support 1.2 billion KRW over four years, providing 300 million KRW annually, including 250 million KRW for environmental improvement and 50 million KRW for special projects.

The school corporation Cheongsuk Academy experienced difficulties such as failing to appoint a principal for Seoul Foreign Language High School, its affiliated school, for a long time due to disputes among executives.

Seoul Foreign Language High School, established in 1993, faced the risk of losing its foreign language high school status due to under-enrollment in 2015 but was granted a grace period and was re-designated in 2017.

The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education will decide on re-designation through a strict inspection of compliance with education policies by the Ministry of Education and the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education during the mid-term evaluation conducted in the second year after designation as a public-type private school.

The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education stated, "In accordance with the purpose and intent of the public-type private school contest project, we will support Seoul Foreign Language High School to smoothly promote the restructuring of the school corporation system and the expansion of the school's public role so that it can become a model case of a tuition-autonomous school."