Gyeongnam Village Education Community Council Condemns Complete Cut of Future Education District Budget

The Gyeongnam Village Education Community Council has strongly protested after the budget for the Gyeongnam Office of Education's Future Education District project, which had its related ordinance abolished last year, was once again completely cut during the supplementary budget review.

On the 16th, the council held a press conference in the provincial council's briefing room and stated, "We strongly condemn the provincial council for cutting the 2025 supplementary budget, which the Gyeongnam Office of Education had allocated to address the difficulties faced by village education sites in crisis."

The provincial office of education had included the Future Education District budget in the first supplementary budget proposal for the Gyeongnam Special Account for Educational Expenses, aiming to revive the foundation for the village education community project, which lost its support ordinance for revitalization last year.

However, on the 11th, the Education Committee, which is the relevant standing committee of the provincial council, and on the 14th, the Special Committee on Budget and Accounts, both decided to completely cut the 3,287 million won budget for the Future Education District project.

After the entire budget was cut during the initial budget planning earlier this year, the failure to secure funds even in the supplementary budget has effectively brought the related project to a halt.

The Gyeongnam Village Education Community Council is condemning the Gyeongnam Provincial Council's decision to completely cut the budget for the Gyeongnam Office of Education's Future Education District project. Photo by Lee Seryoung

The provincial council viewed that the procedural legitimacy and basis for allocating the Future Education District budget were insufficient, as the ordinance supporting the operation of the Future Education District, the establishment and operation of Happy Village Schools, and other related activities had been abolished. The reasons cited for the abolition were the undermining of educational neutrality, the implementation of ideological and value-based education, and inadequate standards for hiring and managing instructors.

Last year, Superintendent Park Jonghoon filed a lawsuit with the Supreme Court claiming the abolition resolution was invalid, but the outcome has not yet been determined.

The council stated, "The Gyeongnam Village Education Community has served as a bridge between schools and local communities for years, providing children with a living and sustainable education," and added, "In rural, mountain, and fishing villages, village schools were the only alternative and hope for children to nurture their dreams and grow. However, with the abolition of the ordinance, budget support has been cut off, and children have lost their opportunities to learn."

They further criticized, "Delaying the allocation of the village education community budget due to the pending Supreme Court ruling is an irresponsible stance that ignores the collapsing education field and asks us to give up on children's growth. Once an educational opportunity is lost, it cannot be recovered and will remain an indelible stain on the children's future."

They continued, "We deeply regret the recent decision by the Gyeongnam Provincial Council and will closely monitor all future actions of the council," emphasizing, "We will never remain silent in the face of unreasonable decisions that ignore the cries of the education field and put children's futures at risk."

The first supplementary budget proposal for the 2025 Gyeongnam Special Account for Educational Expenses, in which the Future Education District budget has been completely cut, is scheduled to be finally decided at the second plenary session of the 425th Gyeongnam Provincial Council extraordinary meeting on the 17th.