Seoul Metropolitan Council People Power Party Floor Leader Group - Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education Policy Consultation Meeting Held

The 11th Seoul Metropolitan Council People Power Party's Second Half Floor Leadership Team Holds First Policy Meeting
Review of Key Education Office Agendas and Current Projects Ahead of the 326th Extraordinary Session
Representative Lee Seong-bae Urges Active Administration at the Education Office, Aiming for On-site Innovation Rather Than Status Quo

The People Power Party of the Seoul Metropolitan Council (Representative Lee Seong-bae) held a policy consultation meeting with the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education on the 22nd, ahead of the 326th extraordinary session, to discuss and review major educational issues.

At the education office policy consultation meeting, the People Power Party's floor leader group attended, including Representative Lee Seong-bae, Senior Deputy Leader Lee Kyung-sook, Political Deputy Leader Hwang Cheol-gyu, Communication and Cooperation Deputy Leader Song Kyung-taek, External Cooperation Deputy Leader Lee Hee-won, and Planning Deputy Leader Kim Gyu-nam.

From the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, Deputy Superintendent Seol Se-hoon, along with the Director of Planning and Coordination, Director of Educational Policy, Director of Educational Administration, the Task Force for Kindergarten Integration, Director of External Cooperation, Head of Elementary Education, Head of Educational Finance, and Head of Educational Facilities and Safety attended.

The main agenda items discussed were ▲ the current status and future plans for promoting kindergarten integration ▲ the status of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education's second semester Neulbom School promotion ▲ activation of school sports facility openings ▲ installation of artificial turf and budget matters.

Representative Lee Seong-bae emphasized that this was the first policy consultation meeting of the 11th Seoul Metropolitan Council's second half floor leader group and requested that the education office actively address local educational issues. He particularly expressed the opinion that active cooperation is needed to resolve major complaints from local council members, such as alleviating overcrowded classes.

Planning Deputy Leader Kim Gyu-nam also noted that resolving overcrowded classes is an urgent issue among local complaints and inquired about the current status of efforts such as legal amendments. The Director of Educational Administration stated that they are actively working to resolve the issue.

The topic that emerged as a key issue that day was the external opening of school sports facilities. The floor leader group strongly criticized schools for being too closed off regarding facility openings, citing difficulties in management.

Senior Deputy Leader Lee Kyung-sook pointed out that schools are public facilities built with tax money, and parents are also local residents, so it is unfair that local residents cannot use the facilities. She highlighted problems with the schools' passive administration.

External Cooperation Deputy Leader Lee Hee-won also stated that the principal's authority in schools is too strong, making it very difficult to open school facilities. Furthermore, even if budgets are secured for improvements such as installing artificial turf, principals often reject projects citing inconvenience. She raised strong doubts about whether such administration truly serves the students.

In addition, Communication and Cooperation Deputy Leader Song Kyung-taek pointed out that in the past, schools gave incentives such as extra points when student athletes achieved good results, but currently, there are no merits gained through promoting sports activities. He emphasized that schools need incentives gained through activating sports activities for school sports to be revitalized.

Political Deputy Leader Hwang Cheol-gyu questioned the effectiveness of the School Manager system and stressed that the education office should directly and actively work on opening school facilities rather than having district offices appoint and manage them. Regarding artificial turf, he requested that instead of pursuing projects based on the education office’s internal priorities, discussions with council members should be held to install artificial turf in schools where it is truly needed.

Furthermore, discussions were held regarding the budget for artificial turf installation. The floor leader group strongly opposed the condition that 50% of the funding must be sourced externally when installing artificial turf and strongly requested alternatives for this matter.

Additionally, Representative Lee Seong-bae raised questions about whether programs such as the Multicultural Museum provide appropriate educational content for the target students. The council members engaged in in-depth discussions on various aspects of the education office’s projects.

Finally, Representative Lee Seong-bae expressed regret over the education office’s report that day, stating, “If the education office drives schools more aggressively, council members will achieve their goals more easily, and principals will find it easier to make decisions.” He urged the education office to take proactive administrative actions and added, “In the future, regarding major educational issues, the education office should systematize and manualize reports so that the Seoul Metropolitan Council can monitor them more thoroughly and meticulously.” With these remarks, the policy consultation meeting concluded.