Seoul Superintendent of Education Jung Keun-sik has expressed concern that the government is pushing ahead with reforms to the local education finance grant system without adequately consulting superintendents and education groups. [Yonhap]
Seoul Superintendent of Education Jung Keun-sik has expressed concern that the government is pushing ahead with reforms to the local education finance grant system without adequately consulting superintendents and education groups. [Yonhap]

Seoul Superintendent of Education Jung Keun-sik has raised concerns that the government is moving to overhaul the local education finance grant system without sufficiently consulting superintendents and education groups.

He also said the current rate linking the grants to domestic tax revenue — set at 20.79 percent — should be maintained, while investment in early childhood, secondary and lifelong education is expanded.

Speaking to reporters Tuesday afternoon, Jung said the government has been "extremely negligent" in explaining the proposed changes to superintendents and seeking their input. "This is a critical issue that would transform the paradigm of local education finance," he said. "The Council of Superintendents and education organizations have consistently raised serious concerns about the procedural problems."

Jung rebuffed criticism that cash-based support programs run by education offices are a source of fiscal waste. "It is not appropriate to lump together experiential learning, guaranteeing students' right to mobility and support for those facing economic hardship under the simple label of cash handouts," he said. "Singling out education office support while ignoring similar support from local governments and the central government is inflammatory criticism."

He also questioned the government's plan to carve out a portion of the grants into a separate "future response fund" to be directed toward early childhood, secondary and lifelong education.

"Education offices already support kindergartens, lifelong learning centers, literacy education and out-of-school youth, and their role in early childhood education will only grow once the integration of childcare and kindergarten services is complete," Jung said. "The right approach is to maintain the 20.79 percent rate and strengthen investment in those areas within that framework."

On the apparent disagreement between the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Planning and Budget over how the proposed fund would be managed, Jung said it appeared "the government has yet to reach internal consensus."

He did not rule out revisiting the domestic tax-linkage formula altogether. "There are those who do not take the absolute position that the tax-linkage system must never be touched," Jung said. "If a rational mechanism can be established that guarantees stable and sufficient education funding, then it is something that can be discussed."

However, he cautioned that "with fixed costs such as teacher salaries continuing to rise, cutting education funding without separate compensatory measures would ultimately reduce the budget available for education programs."

He added that "it is problematic for the government to push ahead with systemic reform without adequately hearing from superintendents and education organizations," and that "even if the views expressed are difficult to accept, there needs to be a process of listening to voices from the field."

Jung, who serves as chair of the National Council of Superintendents of Education, is set to discuss the association's response at an executive board meeting Wednesday and a full video conference of all superintendents nationwide Thursday.


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