[Editorial] Are There Points That Need to be Supplemented in 'An Min-seok's Education Director Recruitment System'?

The phrase that Gyeonggi Province Superintendent of Education An Min-seok has emphasized even before taking office is 'Great Transformation of Gyeonggi Education.' His resolve is expressed as: "It is an untrodden path, but since it is a path we must take, I will muster the courage to walk it." Among the 'five policy reforms for the Great Transformation of Gyeonggi Education' promised by Superintendent An, the 'education director recruitment system' is one. Superintendent An's thinking is that "the first step in solving school problems is to select competent and capable education directors."

Until now, education directors have been selected wholesale by the Provincial Office of Education. It was the superintendent's authority. However, it is needless to say that the education sector stirred when Superintendent An announced plans to depart from the existing method and introduce a regional recommendation recruitment system with the participation of school staff, students, parents, and local residents. Superintendent An's explanation was that this would be a "new model of educational autonomy that strengthens regional-centered education administration by selecting capable individuals well-versed in local educational issues."

And the education director recruitment system was implemented immediately. The list of 11 education directors who survived a 3.4-to-1 competition rate was announced in the 'regional recommendation education director recruitment system,' carried out for the first time nationwide by the Provincial Office of Education. Superintendent An announced the results directly, stating: "The greatest achievement of this recruitment is that the superintendent relinquished the vested interest of appointing education directors and returned that authority to the local community and society."

The appointed education directors have a two-year term, and Superintendent An's explanation that they spend one year understanding unfamiliar local conditions and thus cannot fully utilize their roles, authority, and responsibilities is valid. Based on comprehensive evaluation of △educational expertise △leadership △vision for local education △communication and cooperation capabilities, 11 regionally recommended education directors were selected: Suwon (Kim Hye-ri), Seongnam (Lee Sang-cheol), Goyang (Kang Hyun-ju), Hwaseong-Osan (Kim Young-gi), Siheung (Kim Byung-san), Uijeongbu (Kim Gyou-su), Dongducheon-Yangju (Kang Jung-su), Gimpo (Kwon Sung-gyou), Yeoncheon (Lee Moon-gu), Pocheon (Ryu Gwi-yeol), and Anseong (Kim Beom-jin). The Yeoju Education Support Office Education Director (Kim Sang-seong) was retained.

Overall public opinion is positive toward the 'regional recommendation education director recruitment system.' However, there have been calls to supplement fairness and transparency in the implementation process. Rep. Lee Geon-han of the Gyeonggi Provincial Assembly's Committee on Educational Planning (Democratic Party·Yongin District 8) urged a comprehensive review of the overall system. On the 29th of last month, during the Gyeonggi Province Office of Education's business report, Rep. Lee pointed out that it "was promoted without sufficient prior consultation and institutional preparation." Rep. Lee revealed that the recruitment system proceeded as an 'internal-type recruitment' rather than 'regional recommendation.' This raised questions about whether local communities actually participated substantively in the candidate recommendation and selection process. He also called for the establishment of objective selection principles and institutional safeguards.

The Provincial Office of Education must heed Rep. Lee's argument that the composition and operation of the review committee, candidate evaluation criteria, online peer evaluation methods, and other aspects should be comprehensively reviewed, and that problems revealed in this implementation process should be addressed. Given the high level of public interest in the Provincial Office of Education's education director recruitment system, we hope that the shortcomings revealed in this recruitment will be supplemented.