Seoul Metropolitan Council Plenary Session Policy Speech
Ambition for 'Innovative Education' Including Artificial Intelligence Education
"Seoicho Incident, Schools Must Change"
Cho Hee-yeon, Superintendent of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, submitted the next year's budget proposal to the Seoul Metropolitan Council and stated, "The argument that education funding should be cut is equivalent to giving up on the nation's future." Regarding the policy direction of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education for next year, he promised to implement 'innovative education' and create 'community-type schools' where teachers' authority and educational activities are guaranteed.
Superintendent Cho made these remarks during the plenary session of the Seoul Metropolitan Council held on the 1st. He emphasized both the inevitability of fiscal tightening and the necessity of expanding education funding in relation to the next year's budget proposal.
According to the budget proposal submitted by the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, the total budget for next year is 11.1605 trillion won, a 13.4% (1.731 trillion won) decrease compared to this year's original budget. Superintendent Cho explained, "In a crisis situation where the budget has been drastically reduced compared to last year, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education has carefully deliberated and consulted to allocate only the absolutely necessary budget."
He added, "While there is no argument anywhere that the national budget should be cut due to a declining total population, the argument to reduce education funding because of a decreasing school-age population is growing. For the prompt implementation of measures to protect teachers' educational activities and to increase teachers' allowances, expanding education funding is absolutely necessary."
Regarding the policy direction for next year, Superintendent Cho explained that he is contemplating 'innovative education.' He said, "Over the past decade, efforts to transform the authoritarian educational administration system into a democratic one have been carried out under the name of 'educational innovation' at schools. We will take greater responsibility for protecting teachers' educational activities, ensuring students' basic academic skills, and character education, and will remove the shadows over innovative education." He also emphasized 'new future education,' promising international joint classes, perspective-taking discussion education, artificial intelligence and ecological transition education, and the operation of the IB program.
Regarding the recently announced plan by the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education to establish 'urban campuses,' he expressed his ambition, saying, "We will successfully introduce urban campuses and open a new path to respond to the decline in the school-age population."
Superintendent Cho referred to the 'Seoi Elementary School incident,' stating, "For wounds to heal, the school must change once again." He added, "Now, we must take a step further to realize schools based on democratic principles while maintaining a sense of community," promising, "Seoul education will vigorously move toward 'community-type schools.'"
The 2024 budget proposal of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education is expected to be finalized after deliberation at the regular session of the Seoul Metropolitan Council.
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