Kim Calls for Overhaul of Infrastructure-Focused Policies,
Emphasizes Evaluating Education by Children's Growth, Not Investment Size
Younggon Kim, a preliminary candidate for Superintendent of Education in Gyeongnam Province, officially proposed a structural shift in infrastructure-focused policies regarding the Gyeongsangnam-do Office of Education’s future education strategy, stating, “A rigorous evaluation is needed to determine whether the expansion of digital infrastructure, which amounts to several hundred billion won, has truly led to strengthening children’s basic competencies.”
On March 1, through a statement on social media, Kim pointed out, “About 175.9 billion won was spent on distributing one device per student (iBook), hundreds of billions of won on establishing, operating, and upgrading the AI learning platform 'iTalkTalk', and around 49 billion won on building the Future Education Center. However, educational policies should be evaluated not by the scale of investment, but by the growth of the children.”
He continued, “While device distribution rates and platform access rates are being reported, there has not been sufficient systematic verification of how much fundamental learning skills such as literacy, numeracy, and critical thinking have actually improved. Education is not an infrastructure project, but the design of growth.”
He also emphasized, “Digital transformation was a demand of the times, but the necessity of a policy and the direction of that policy do not always align. Since children’s time cannot be carried over like a budget, even stricter evaluations are required.”
Accordingly, as a plan for the structural transformation of future education in Gyeongnam, Kim proposed: ▲ conducting a comprehensive evaluation of the effectiveness and impact of projects such as iTalkTalk, iBook, and the Future Education Center, establishing an objective verification system based on indicators like literacy and numeracy, and forming an evaluation committee including external experts and field teachers to release the results within six months; ▲ developing a “Three-Year Basic Competency Recovery Plan,” designating third grade in elementary school, second grade in middle school, and first grade in high school as key transition years, setting up a focused support system, utilizing AI and digital tools as supplementary means, and strengthening teacher-led instructional design; ▲ reconsidering the blanket distribution of one device per student, introducing a school-level autonomy option, and restructuring digital policies to be classroom-centered by redirecting part of the maintenance budget toward teacher training and lesson research support; ▲ repurposing the Future Education Center from an exhibition and experience-oriented facility to a hub for teacher research and training, and disclosing its operating structure and outcomes transparently.
Kim stated, “It is not responsible administration to hesitate on policy shifts simply because the budget has already been spent. Policy exists not for appearances but to protect children’s time.”
He added, “I will create an educational administration evaluated by literacy instead of access rates, and by critical thinking instead of distribution rates. I am firmly committed to redesigning Gyeongnam’s future education structure to focus on growth, not on devices.”
He concluded, “A child’s day is time that cannot be reassigned. I will set the direction for Gyeongnam education by protecting the time of our children through education.”
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