Party accepts education chief's amendment proposal, choosing reform over confrontation
Smart device restrictions, contested identity clauses among targets for revision
Kim Gil-young pledges to enshrine student responsibilities and teacher protections
The debate over Seoul's student rights ordinance has taken a sharp turn — away from outright repeal and toward amendment. The People Power Party caucus of the Seoul Metropolitan Council accepted a proposal by Seoul education chief Jeong Geun-sik to revise the ordinance rather than scrap it, opting to embed teacher protections, student responsibilities and school order directly into the text instead of prolonging a draining standoff over abolition.
The PPP caucus announced Wednesday it would pursue an amendment to the ordinance rather than renew its push for repeal, following the recent defeat of a bill to abolish the Seoul Metropolitan Student Rights Ordinance. The plan is to more explicitly reflect teacher protections and student duties in a measure critics have long said tilts too heavily toward student rights.
The turning point was a proposal by Jeong at Tuesday's plenary session of the Seoul Metropolitan Council. "Please lend the assembly's support so that we can supplement the ordinance through revision — not repeal — to build schools where the human rights of every member of the educational community are protected," Jeong said. "I will work with the assembly to ensure that teachers' rights are respected alongside students' rights, and that students' responsibilities and obligations are strengthened."
The PPP caucus responded in kind, waiving its right to a supporting debate. The party judged that directly fixing the problematic provisions — rather than repeating the cycle of abolition versus preservation — was the better path to real change in schools.
The first target for revision is the provision governing smart device use during class. Article 20-5 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, amended in September last year, establishes the principle that students may not use mobile phones or other smart devices during lessons. The PPP plans to bring Article 13 of the student rights ordinance — which states that possession and use of electronic devices shall not be prohibited outright — into line with the intent of that higher-level law.
The ordinance's most contentious clause is also on the table. Article 5, which references "sexual orientation" and "gender identity" among the grounds on which students may not be discriminated against, has drawn sustained social controversy. The PPP plans to gather opinions from parents, educators and other stakeholders before drafting a revised version.
Going forward, the PPP caucus will coordinate the specifics of the amendment through consultations between the education superintendent and representatives of both parties in the assembly. The core aim is to preserve the ordinance's intent of guaranteeing student rights while explicitly incorporating student responsibilities and obligations, teacher protections and the right to learn.
"We placed weight on cooperative governance given the symbolic significance of this being the first ordinance bill taken up by the 12th Seoul Metropolitan Council," PPP floor leader Kim Gil-young said. "We hope to work with the education office to build a healthy school culture that satisfies both students and teachers, and we ask the education office to engage sincerely in the revision process to strengthen student accountability and protect teachers' rights."
7toy7@heraldcorp.com
