Gyeongnam Superintendent of Education Park Jong-hoon Requests Reconsideration... "Village Education Community Ordinance Must Not Be Abolished"

Park Jong-hoon, Superintendent of Education of Gyeongnam Province, requested reconsideration of the “Ordinance to Repeal the Ordinance on Supporting the Activation of Gyeongsangnam-do Village Education Communities,” which was passed by the Gyeongnam Provincial Council on the 15th of last month.

On the 4th, Superintendent Park held a press conference at the provincial education office press room and expressed his intention to request reconsideration of the repeal.

He said, “After the ordinance repeal was passed, I traveled to 18 cities and counties in the province to gather opinions, and as of today, I have completed visits to 15 cities and counties. Through the village education communities, school education has become more enriched, and I was able to confirm that the ordinance is necessary for schools and local communities to coexist.”

“I also heard concerns about political bias and voices demanding systematic operation of village learning centers,” he added, “and I was reminded that it is our role to operate policy projects more delicately.”

“After hearing numerous stories, everyone’s thoughts were summarized into one,” he emphasized. “That is that it must be about the children and educational. No other argument could surpass this.”

Superintendent Park said, “I ask the provincial council members to consider greater educational values and broader educational trends together. Now is the time to focus solely on children and education, and as superintendent, I will proudly uphold that principle.”

Gyeongnam Superintendent of Education Park Jong-hoon is announcing a request for reconsideration regarding the "Ordinance to Repeal the Ordinance on Supporting the Revitalization of Village Education Communities in Gyeongsangnam-do," which was approved by the Gyeongnam Provincial Council.
[Photo by Gyeongnam Office of Education]

The provincial education office decided to request reconsideration of the ordinance, citing that the ordinance is necessary to implement the Lifelong Education Act and the Framework Act on Youth, operates curricula linking schools and local communities according to the 2022 revised curriculum, and contributes to the sustainability of local communities through village community projects.

As grounds for the request, they pointed out that among a total of 12,084 opinions received during the legislative notice period, 11,869 (98%) opposed the repeal of the ordinance; that the education office is implementing reform measures to maintain political neutrality; and that the ordinance can be supplemented and improved through amendments.

The Ordinance on Supporting the Activation of Gyeongnam Village Education Communities was enacted in July 2021 to create an educational ecosystem in which schools, villages, the education office, and local governments cooperate and collaborate.

Based on this, budgets were allocated for operating future education districts, establishing and running Happy Village Schools, and supporting educational cooperatives.

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

The "Ordinance on the Abolition of the Ordinance on Supporting the Revitalization of Village Education Communities in Gyeongsangnam-do" was passed at the 1st plenary session of the 418th extraordinary meeting of the Gyeongnam Provincial Council.
Photo by Lee Seryeong

On September 19, the Gyeongnam Provincial Council announced the legislative notice for the repeal of the ordinance, collected opinions, and on the morning of the same day, submitted the repeal proposal to the 9th Special Committee on Ordinance Maintenance for the plenary session.

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

On that day, the education office proposed reform measures including the establishment of provisions to maintain educational neutrality, revision and deletion of politically charged terms within the ordinance, consultation with local governments regarding local village learning centers, and the operation of a permanent monitoring team, but these were criticized as belated responses and failed to persuade the council.

According to Article 32 of the Local Autonomy Act and Article 28 of the Act on Local Education Autonomy, if the superintendent of education judges that a resolution of the city or provincial council regarding education or academic affairs violates laws or significantly harms public interest, they may request reconsideration with reasons within 20 days from the date of receipt of the resolution.

When the city or provincial council receives a request for reconsideration, it must re-deliberate the ordinance, and if two-thirds or more of the members present, with at least half of all members in attendance, vote the same as before reconsideration, the resolution is finalized.