Reforming the Hierarchy of University Admissions and Guaranteeing Teachers' Political Rights
Legalizing the Establishment of the "Learning Diagnosis and Growth Center"
"Top 10 Education Policy Pledges" Delivered to Each Political Party... "To Be Reflected in the New Government's Policies"
"School internal assessments and the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) will be converted to absolute grading, and descriptive and essay-type questions will be introduced in the CSAT. The reduction rate for teacher staffing will be kept within 2% to maintain a stable number of teachers, and the 'Learning Diagnosis and Growth Center' currently operated by the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education will be expanded nationwide to ensure students' basic academic abilities."
On May 13, Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education Superintendent Jung Geunsik delivered these "Top 10 Education Policy Pledges" to each political party and requested that they be reflected in the new government's education policies.
First, Superintendent Jung pointed out that the college admissions system must be improved to normalize public education and reduce private education expenses. This is based on the belief that the current relative evaluation-based college admissions system leads to overheated competition, excessive private education, and an increasing number of students repeating the CSAT. Private education spending for elementary, middle, and high school students in Korea has continued to rise, from 19.3532 trillion won in 2020 to 23.4158 trillion won in 2021, 25.9538 trillion won in 2022, and 27.1144 trillion won in 2023. The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education analyzed that the current CSAT, which focuses on multiple-choice questions, has limitations as a tool for assessing creative problem-solving skills and integrative thinking, which are emphasized as future competencies. Accordingly, the proposal is to convert both school internal assessments and the CSAT to absolute grading, and to introduce descriptive and essay-type questions in the CSAT to align with a school education direction centered on thinking skills, problem-solving, and creativity. In addition, the office suggested establishing a "Curriculum Assessment Innovation Center" (tentative name) at the local education office level to ensure the quality of internal assessments, and proposed integrating the early and regular college admissions processes into a single round held in January. These measures aim to enhance the stability and predictability of college admissions policies.
He also argued that the teacher staffing calculation method should be redesigned. According to the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, the number of teachers has been steadily decreasing. This year, the reduction rate was 3.1% (a reduction of 558 teachers) for public elementary schools and 2.5% (a reduction of 377 teachers) for public middle and high schools. This is a result of quantitatively reducing teacher numbers in response to declining student enrollment. The problem is that instead of allocating staff based on the appropriate number of classes, schools are organizing classes according to the reduced number of teachers, leading to an increase in overcrowded classes and a shortage of subject teachers. There are concerns that large-scale reductions in teacher numbers, without considering regional circumstances, make it difficult to provide individualized education, emotional guidance for students, and stable operation of small schools. The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education stated that the teacher staffing calculation method should be redesigned to support personalized educational activities for students and reflect future educational demands. The proposal is to lower the reduction rate for teacher staffing to within 2%, taking into account regional characteristics and other factors.
In addition, he saw the need to revise the Act on the Status of Teachers, the Child Abuse Punishment Act, and the Child Welfare Act to protect teachers' rights. There have been ongoing concerns about declining teacher authority, such as the recent incident in which a third-year high school student assaulted a teacher at a high school in Yangcheon-gu, Seoul. The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education proposed operating a "school-dedicated security police system" (tentative name) through the revision of the Act on the Status of Teachers, and minimizing false child abuse reports by amending the Child Abuse Punishment Act and related laws.
Superintendent Jung also included in the list of Top 10 Policy Pledges education policies currently implemented by the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education that could be expanded nationwide. A representative example is the "Learning Diagnosis and Growth Center," operated to ensure students' basic academic abilities. Through the Seoul Learning Diagnosis and Growth Center, the office conducts in-depth diagnoses of basic academic issues that are difficult to solve at the school level, such as dyslexia, dyscalculia, and borderline intelligence, and provides customized programs for each factor based on the results. This year, the office is establishing Seoul Learning Diagnosis and Growth Centers in each district education office to systematize and enhance the in-depth diagnosis and customized support system. Among these, "support for students with dyscalculia" is being implemented only in Seoul among the 17 metropolitan and provincial education offices nationwide. The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education expects that the Learning Diagnosis and Growth Center will strengthen the national responsibility for ensuring basic academic abilities and enhance public trust in public education.
This presidential election policy proposal was prepared in response to discussions that the next government must prepare for rapid social changes such as declining school-age population, the climate crisis, and digital transformation through education. A representative of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education said, "This was prepared as a continuation of our ongoing policy proposal activities, with preliminary policy proposals and practical reviews conducted by each department and affiliated institution under the Office of Education." The office plans to deliver the education policy proposals to each political party so that they can be addressed by the next government.
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