From September 1, All Public and Private Schools in Gyeonggi Province
Schools to Focus on Prevention-Oriented Educational Activities, While Education Support Offices Handle Case Deliberations
Minimizing Incidents Through Strengthened Accountability for Sexual Harassment and Sexual Violence Prevention
The Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education (Superintendent Lim Taehee) announced on August 7 that, starting September 1, all grievance deliberation committees for sexual harassment and sexual violence at public and private schools in the province will be fully transferred to the jurisdiction of local education support offices.
Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education building. Provided by Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education
This marks the first case in the nation where grievance deliberation committees are operated at the education support office level, aiming to enhance fairness and expertise in handling cases of sexual harassment and sexual violence within schools, as well as to alleviate administrative burdens on schools. In particular, this is a pioneering measure reflecting the unique circumstances of Gyeonggi Province, which has the largest number of schools in the country, and is intended to support the school field.
Previously, each school had established its own grievance deliberation committee to investigate and deliberate on cases. However, there have been ongoing calls for improvement due to excessive administrative workload and limitations in handling cases with sufficient expertise.
With the education support offices set to operate grievance deliberation committees for cases reported in schools from September 1, 2025, schools will focus on prevention-oriented tasks such as counseling, receiving reports of incidents, and establishing and implementing measures to prevent recurrence. Meanwhile, the education support offices will be responsible for conducting investigations and deliberation procedures, as well as notifying the parties involved of the results, thereby supporting the school field.
To prepare for the transfer, the Provincial Office of Education conducted policy research in 2024 and sought directions suitable for local conditions. Subsequently, a special task force (TF) was formed to establish the "Guidelines (Manual) for Handling Sexual Harassment and Sexual Violence Cases," and on-site support will be strengthened for the full implementation.
Superintendent Lim Taehee stated, "This measure will significantly reduce the workload at the school level, allowing schools to focus on their core educational activities of nurturing students' basic competencies and fundamental character," adding, "We will actively listen to voices from the school field to bring about positive change."
Meanwhile, the Provincial Office of Education plans to provide training and conduct promotional activities for faculty and staff to ensure the smooth implementation of this transfer at the school level.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
