An Min-seok's 'Teacher Rights Protection Coordinators' Begin Full Operations... 300 Final Selectees Announced
[News S=Reporter Jung Jun-seong] The Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education announced the final selection results for Teacher Rights Protection Coordinators on the 10th. With this, An Min-seok's 'Teacher Rights Protection Coordinator' program is set to begin full-scale operations.
On the same day, Superintendent An Min-seok visited the Bucheon Ojeong Police Station and personally submitted a criminal complaint regarding serious violations of educational activities by parents.
The final selection of Teacher Rights Protection Coordinators totals 300 people: 110 educators, 30 Gyeonggi residents, and 160 experts.
Notably, the expert group includes a diverse range of professionals such as lawyers, doctors, police officers, conflict resolution experts, counselors, former civil rights commission investigators, and international behavior analysis specialists.
The public recruitment launched on July 15th drew 1,823 applicants for 50 positions (based on initial announcement), recording an average competition rate of 36-to-1, demonstrating strong interest throughout Gyeonggi Province.
The Provincial Office of Education prioritized fairness and expertise as the guiding principles and selected 512 candidates for interviews through several days of document screening.
The three-day interview process was conducted in a group discussion format to comprehensively verify competencies as Teacher Rights Protection Coordinators, evaluating understanding of teacher rights protection, problem-solving and conflict resolution capabilities, and collaboration and communication skills.
Considering the unexpectedly large number of applicants and the high level of expertise confirmed through document and interview screening, the Provincial Office of Education decided to expand the final selection from the originally planned 50 to 300 after careful deliberation.
The 300 selected coordinators were distributed considering the ratio of schools and educators by region: 58 in the Eastern Gyeonggi region, 83 in the Western Gyeonggi region, 96 in the Southern Gyeonggi region, and 63 in the Northern Gyeonggi region.
Meanwhile, Teacher Rights Protection Coordinators provide one-on-one dedicated support from the initial stage through resolution for educators facing difficulties due to child abuse allegations, serious violations of educational activities, and malicious complaints.
The Provincial Office of Education plans to conduct capacity-building training for the selected coordinators on August 13th and 18th, hold a launch ceremony on the 22nd, and begin full-scale operations.
Additionally, the Provincial Office of Education announced plans to appoint approximately 1,400 applicants who expressed interest as 'Citizen Teacher Rights Protectors' so their expertise and experience can contribute to teacher rights protection activities and the advancement of Gyeonggi education.
Following the announcement of the final selection of Teacher Rights Protection Coordinators, Superintendent An Min-seok personally visited the Bucheon Ojeong Police Station and submitted a criminal complaint in the superintendent's name regarding violations of educational activities.
This criminal complaint represents Superintendent An's strong determination to pursue accountability according to law and principles for violations of educational activities and to create schools where teachers can work with confidence and focus on teaching.
In particular, the superintendent's personal visit to the police station to submit the criminal complaint carries the meaning of publicly declaring that violations of educational activities are no longer an individual burden that teachers bear alone, but an issue the education office will jointly take responsibility for and respond to.
Superintendent An Min-seok stated, "The 36-to-1 competition rate demonstrated by applicants for the Teacher Rights Protection Coordinator program represents the convergence of residents' aspirations to restore damaged teacher authority," and added, "When teachers are respected, students learn properly, and when parents trust schools, the educational community can stand firm."
Going forward, the Provincial Office of Education plans to strengthen an integrated support system centered on Teacher Rights Protection Coordinators that encompasses prevention, response, and recovery, creating Gyeonggi education where teachers can confidently focus on teaching and students can dedicate themselves to learning.