4-Year Term, Renewable but 74% Not Completed
Ministry of Education Bans All Transfers During Term for Publicly Recruited Principals
Average Tenure 33.4 Months...Shortest in High Schools
Two out of three principals of elementary, middle, and high schools nationwide leave their schools before completing their terms, causing confusion on the ground.
On the 4th, An Min-seok, a member of the National Assembly's Education Committee from the Democratic Party of Korea, reviewed the transfer status of principals nationwide during their terms from 2021 to the first half of 2022, submitted by the Ministry of Education and metropolitan and provincial offices of education. Among 1,852 principals, 1,377 (74%) did not complete their terms. Of these, 278 (15%) did not even serve half of their term.
According to the Education Officials Act, the principal's term is four years, with one possible renewal, and transfers during the term are allowed. The Ministry of Education strictly prohibits principals appointed through public recruitment from transferring to other schools or moving to positions within the education office during their term. There are calls for similar transfer restrictions to be applied to general principals as well.
The average tenure of principals was recorded as 33.4 months. High school principals had the shortest average tenure at 30.3 months, followed by middle school principals at 32.8 months, and elementary school principals at 34.1 months.
The reasons for transfers were mostly general transfers with 1,730 cases (93.0%), followed by job changes with 50 cases (2.7%), and others with 72 cases (3.8%). Among general transfers, 1,255 (73%) were transfers requested by the principals themselves, and 475 (27%) were transfers upon term completion. Overall, 68% of transferred principals moved by their own request.
By region, the areas with the highest number of principals not completing their terms were Gyeonggi with 219 (16%), Gyeongnam with 161 (12%), and Jeonnam with 151 (11%). The regions with the fewest were Sejong with 13 (1%), Ulsan with 29 (2%), and Seoul with 30 (2%).
Assemblyman An Min-seok said, "Principals are entrusted with the crucial role of managing school operations and education, but the frequent replacement of principals leads to a lack of leadership and confusion in schools, which ultimately affects students and teachers." He added, "The education authorities must strictly limit principal transfers to ensure school stability and continuous, consistent accountability in education."
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