Jeong Geunsik Expresses "Deep Regret" Over Seoul Council's Passage of Student Human Rights Ordinance Abolition

Repeating an Abolished Ordinance Only Sparks Unnecessary Disputes
Superintendent Requests Rejection in Plenary Session

Jeong Geunsik, Superintendent of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, expressed strong dissatisfaction with the Seoul Metropolitan Council's sudden submission and passage of the 'Ordinance to Abolish the Student Human Rights Ordinance.'

On November 18, Superintendent Jeong stated in a position statement released at the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, "I express deep regret and concern over the handling of the ordinance to abolish the Student Human Rights Ordinance, which will bring confusion to schools."

Superintendent Jeong added, "Re-voting on an ordinance that has already been abolished will only lead to unnecessary legal disputes and administrative waste," and appealed, "I urge the assembly to reject the ordinance to abolish the Student Human Rights Ordinance in the plenary session so that our education system can recover based on the values of mutual respect and cooperation."

On the evening of November 17, the Education Committee of the Seoul Metropolitan Council submitted the ordinance to abolish the Seoul Student Human Rights Ordinance during a regular session and passed it with seven votes in favor and four against.

The ordinance to abolish the Student Human Rights Ordinance was first introduced in April last year by a council member and passed the plenary session, but in July of the same year, the Supreme Court accepted the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education's request for a stay of execution, making it impossible to re-vote. In response, the Seoul Metropolitan Council passed the same content in the form of a resident-initiated ordinance. If it passes the plenary session within the year, the Student Human Rights Ordinance in Seoul will be abolished.

The Student Human Rights Ordinance is a regulation enacted by local governments or education offices to guarantee students' dignity, value, freedom, and rights. It includes the right not to be discriminated against based on gender, physical condition, family type or situation, or academic performance, as well as the right to be free from violence such as corporal punishment, ostracism, or group bullying. However, the conservative bloc has opposed the ordinance, arguing that it has undermined teachers' authority and classroom order.

Superintendent Jeong emphasized, "The Student Human Rights Ordinance is the minimum institutional safeguard to protect student rights. It is not a concept that opposes teachers' authority, but rather the first step toward raising the human rights of everyone."

He continued, "As superintendent, I will do my best to uphold the essential values of education and the dignity of the entire community," and added, "I will work to ensure that the 'Student Human Rights Act,' which is currently pending in the National Assembly, can be enacted to guarantee student rights."