Koh Youngsun, KEDI President: "Education Policy in the Era of Great Transformation Must Be Approached Scientifically"

Concerns Over "Ranking" Lead to Limited Data Collection and Disclosure
"Government Must Institutionalize the Practice of Improving Policies Based on Analytical Results"

Koh Youngsun, President of the Korea Educational Development Institute (KEDI), emphasized the importance of "education policies based on objective data analysis" on the 26th, stating, "If we do not approach education policy scientifically, it may become a blind policy."

The Korea Educational Development Institute celebrated its 53rd anniversary by hosting the 221st KEDI Education Policy Forum on the 26th at the Courtyard Marriott Sejong Grand Ballroom, under the theme "Educational Achievements in the Era of Great Transformation."

On this day, the Korea Educational Development Institute hosted the 221st KEDI Education Policy Forum at the Courtyard Marriott Sejong Grand Ballroom to mark its 53rd anniversary, under the theme "Educational Achievements in the Era of Great Transformation." During the event, President Koh stated, "We must utilize scientific methods to find the best means for education," adding, "It is necessary to conduct both qualitative and quantitative analyses, and to confirm, revise, or supplement hypotheses and assumptions based on the results."

To this end, President Koh presented a scientific approach to establishing education policy, dividing the process into four stages: defining the values pursued by education; exploring quantitative methods to objectify those values; establishing hypotheses and verifying them through qualitative and quantitative methods; and, finally, developing efficient policies and applying them in practice.

President Koh remarked, "We cannot implement effective education policies based solely on 'belief' and 'intuition.' This is akin to flying in the dark without an instrument panel or playing a soccer match without keeping track of goals and points."

He pointed out, "To solve pressing educational issues, we need analyses that employ both qualitative and quantitative methods, just as in other academic fields. However, there is a lack of consideration and discussion on this matter in the field."

Koh Youngsun, President of the Korea Educational Development Institute (KEDI), is attending and presenting at the 221st KEDI Education Policy Forum held on the 26th at the Courtyard Marriott Sejong Grand Ballroom.

President Koh noted, "Overall interest in data is low," and explained, "Due to concerns about ranking, much data is not established, or even if it is collected, it is not released." He further pointed out, "Even at the level of metropolitan and provincial offices of education, data management systems are found to be quite inadequate. Such circumstances slow the progress of our education system and may affect the standing of the education sector."

President Koh stated, "At the government and education office levels, it is necessary to gather opinions from various sectors to establish core indicators, and to collect and release more data." He added, "It is important to institutionalize the practice of revising and supplementing policies based on such results within the government." However, he cautioned against using research findings solely for criticizing the government. He emphasized, "Rather than using data for government criticism, our efforts should be focused on improving policies in a more constructive manner."

In the subsequent presentation session, Senior Research Fellow Park Sungho discussed the need for data-driven monitoring for diagnosing the performance of elementary and secondary education, stressing, "It is necessary to set national-level goals and conduct systematic performance evaluations accordingly," and "We must develop monitoring indicators linked to policy objectives that reflect changes in the times." Research Fellow Baek Seungjoo then presented on "Diagnosis and Challenges of University Performance," outlining the current state and future direction for diagnosing university performance to ensure sustainable growth.

A representative from the Korea Educational Development Institute stated, "We expect this forum to serve as an opportunity to build consensus on key policy issues and to develop effective education policy measures through active communication among those working in the field, policy researchers, and education administrators."