Gyeongnam Superintendent of Education Park Jong-hoon on the Abolition of the Village Education Community Ordinance: "I Will Ask the Residents"

"I will visit every city and county in person to ask parents and residents for their opinions, and if the provincial council's decision is wrong, I will request reconsideration."

On the afternoon of the 15th, Park Jong-hoon, Superintendent of Education of Gyeongnam, expressed regret over the passage of the ordinance to repeal the ordinance on supporting the revitalization of the Gyeongnam Village Education Community, which was passed by the provincial council, and made this statement.

Park Jong-hoon, Superintendent of Education of Gyeongnam, is expressing his position on the passage of the ordinance to repeal the ordinance supporting the revitalization of the Gyeongnam village education community.
[Photo by Lee Se-ryeong]

Superintendent Park said, "From the perspective of parents and residents with a reasonable moderate tendency, I will ask as many as possible whether the Village Education Community project and the ordinance that forms the basis of the project should be repealed or maintained."

"I will visit all cities and counties in the province to meet parents, residents, village instructors, education directors, and local provincial council members to hear their opinions. I also plan to meet those with different views," he said, adding, "I will hold discussions and try to persuade them with the stories I have as the superintendent."

"I will listen to as many voices of residents as possible, and if the ordinance and the activities of the Village Education Community are unreasonable or deserve to be repealed, I will accept it," he emphasized, "Otherwise, I will request reconsideration."

"The period to request reconsideration is 20 days, so it is not a short time," he said. "I have canceled all non-special schedules for this purpose."

"Although I think there is a political aspect to today's provincial council decision, I will meet residents without considering any assumptions," he added.

Regarding the criticism from the Provincial Council Ordinance Revision Special Committee that his response to the ordinance repeal was somewhat delayed, he said, "I tried to persuade and submitted opinions. There is justification for killing it and justification for saving it. Sometimes compromises are made at the last minute and serious considerations take place. I do not think I have been negligent in persuasion or effort," he rebutted.

In response to criticism that reforms regarding the violation of educational neutrality and poor operation pointed out during the budget formation by the Provincial Council Budget and Accounts Special Committee had not been implemented, he said, "In fact, the reform plan started to be implemented in March, and saying that concrete actions of the reform plan are not visible in a period of only one semester is just the position of those who want to kill it," adding, "The staff members do not agree at all."

"Even if I concede a hundred steps that reforms have not been made, I think it is not a reason to kill the ordinance," he emphasized.

He also said, "I do not think there is no possibility for the ordinance to survive," and "If I can persuade at least 20 council members, the ordinance may not be killed."

At the 1st plenary session of the 418th extraordinary meeting of the Gyeongnam Provincial Council, the voting results for the ordinance to abolish the ordinance on supporting the revitalization of the Gyeongnam Village Education Community were announced.
[Photo by Lee Seryeong]

Superintendent Park also expressed regret in a statement.

He said, "The Village Education Community is a learning ground where our children cooperate, communicate, and develop empathy through various activities," and "Shaking this precious learning ground for children is directly opposed to the changes of the times and the flow of future education, and as the superintendent, I express deep regret."

"This ordinance repeal will result in the contraction of local education," he said, "We must clearly remember that regions disappear starting from places where children's laughter disappears."

The ordinance on supporting the revitalization of the Gyeongnam Village Education Community was enacted in July 2021 to create an educational ecosystem where schools, villages, education offices, and local governments in the community unite and cooperate.

Based on this, budgets were supported for the operation of future education districts, establishment and operation of Happy Village Schools, support for educational cooperatives, and more.

However, controversies arose over the violation of educational neutrality due to village instructors declaring support for Superintendent Park during his candidacy, the involvement of a person linked to the so-called Changwon Spy Group incident as a village instructor, the implementation of ideological and value education, and poor hiring and management standards to secure instructor expertise.

The Gyeongnam Provincial Council announced the legislative notice for the ordinance repeal on September 19, collected opinions, and held the 9th Ordinance Revision Special Committee meeting that morning to submit the repeal proposal to the plenary session.

In the afternoon, at the 1st plenary session of the 418th extraordinary meeting, debates and voting on the ordinance repeal took place, and the ordinance repeal was finally passed with 46 votes in favor, 5 against, and 11 abstentions out of 62 members present.