Daejeon City Councilor Kim Minsook Criticizes Free School Uniform Policy... "Voucher System and Other Improvements Urgently Needed"

Municipal Inquiry Highlights "Numerous Complaints About Prices and Significant Burden of Additional Purchases"

Daejeon City Council member MinSook Kim is pointing out issues with the Daejeon Office of Education's free school uniform policy on the 10th at the main chamber. Photo by Daejeon City Council

There have been numerous issues raised regarding the free school uniform policy implemented by the Daejeon Metropolitan Office of Education since 2019, prompting urgent calls for improvements to the system.

On the 10th, at the 1st plenary session of the 284th temporary meeting of the Daejeon City Council, Kim Minsook (Democratic Party, proportional representative) pointed out through a municipal inquiry that complaints from students and parents regarding the free school uniform policy have not ceased, even as the policy enters its sixth year.

Kim stated, "The goal of the free school uniform policy is to reduce the financial burden on parents and strengthen the public nature of education, but there are still many complaints about the price of uniforms and the considerable burden caused by additional purchases."

She went on to strongly criticize the price imbalance among uniform items and the issue of forced bundling. She said, "The prices of pants and shirts are abnormally high compared to jackets, and in many cases, students are induced to purchase non-essential items as well."

Problems in the operation of the School Uniform Selection Committee were also pointed out. Kim said, "There are ongoing suspicions of collusion among suppliers and issues with the lowest-bid selection method," and emphasized, "The education office must thoroughly manage the process to ensure fair competition in the committee with sufficient reflection of parents' opinions."

As an improvement measure, Kim Minsook suggested to Seol Dongho, Superintendent of Daejeon Education, that comprehensive measures be considered, such as introducing a 'local love gift certificate' or 'school uniform voucher' system similar to the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education's entrance preparation fund support, and simplifying uniform items.

In response, the Daejeon Metropolitan Office of Education plans to conduct a satisfaction survey and monitoring for parents eligible for school uniform support in the 2025 academic year, strengthen on-site inspections of uniform suppliers, and review improvements to school-led purchasing guidelines to better accommodate parents' demands.