Jeonnam Provincial Office of Education Explains "Only 18% of Elementary Teachers Reside in Gwangju"

Councilor Choi Jeong-hoon's Point: "81% of Teachers Have Addresses in Jeonnam"

The Jeonnam Provincial Office of Education clarified on the 5th regarding the issue raised by Choi Jeong-hoon, Jeonnam Provincial Assembly member (Democratic Party·Mokpo 4), about Jeonnam teachers having addresses in other regions. They stated, "81.22% of Jeonnam elementary school teachers actually reside in Jeonnam, and only 18.02% live in Gwangju."

Choi Jeong-hoon, Jeonnam Provincial Assembly Member

On the 4th, during the main office's administrative audit, Assemblyman Choi expressed doubts about the effectiveness of the additional points system given to teachers residing in Jeonnam.

Assemblyman Choi pointed out, "The Gwangju metropolitan outskirts are classified as Naju, Damyang, Hwasun, Jangseong, Gokseong, Hampyeong, and Yeonggwang," and said, "71% of elementary school teachers, 76% of middle school teachers, and 75% of high school teachers do not reside within the district but have addresses in other regions and commute."

He added, "Many send their children to elementary schools in Jeonnam but then enroll them in middle schools in Gwangju," criticizing, "This is the result of Jeonnam teachers not trusting their fellow teachers and Jeonnam's secondary education."

In response, an official from the Provincial Office of Education explained, "The 71% figure for Jeonnam elementary school teachers refers to the ratio of commuting teachers among 1,635 elementary teachers working in the Gwangju metropolitan counties (Naju, Damyang, Hwasun, Jangseong, Gokseong, Hampyeong, Yeonggwang), with 1,165 commuting teachers. This corresponds to only about 15% of the total 7,749 elementary school teachers."

They continued, "Most children of Jeonnam teachers attend schools in the city or county where they reside or work," and explained, "Cases where teacher's children transfer to schools in Gwangju occur when a teacher who actually resides in Gwangju is raising children in places like Wando and then is transferred to Jangseong, resulting in the children transferring to their actual residence in Gwangju."

Furthermore, they emphasized, "Teacher personnel transfers are based on a rotation principle. Considering the regional conditions of the 22 cities and counties in Jeonnam, personnel jurisdictions are divided, and the length of service required to work within each jurisdiction is set for transfers," stressing, "This is by no means due to a lack of trust in Jeonnam education or fellow teachers."