"National policy projects cost Seoul education office an extra 99.6 billion won"

"Declining enrollment is a chance to raise education quality, not cut budgets"

Seoul Superintendent of Education Jeong Geun-sik (left) and Korean Confederation of Trade Unions Chairman Yang Gyeong-su. [Provided by Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education]
Seoul Superintendent of Education Jeong Geun-sik (left) and Korean Confederation of Trade Unions Chairman Yang Gyeong-su. [Provided by Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education]

Seoul Superintendent of Education Jeong Geun-sik and the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) joined forces Monday to oppose the government's proposed overhaul of the local education finance grant system, vowing to defend education funding.

Speaking at a policy forum with the KCTU held at the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, Jeong said a drop in student numbers does not mean schools' financial needs shrink at the same pace. "Schools and classrooms must be maintained, and staff wages and facility upkeep costs continue to arise," he said.

The forum was attended by Jeong and KCTU Chairman Yang Gyeong-su, along with Um Gil-yong, chairman of the National Public Transport and Social Services Union; Kim Gwang-chang, chairman of the Service Workers' Federation; Park Yeong-hwan, chairman of the Korean Teachers and Education Workers' Union; Jeong In-yong, head of the National Education Public Service Workers' Division; and Min Tae-ho, chairman of the National School Non-Regular Workers' Union.

Jeong identified basic academic skills, special education, after-school care, student mental health and safety, AI and digital learning environments, and aging school facilities as areas requiring increased investment. He particularly stressed that the funding needed for facility upgrades and maintaining adequate numbers of teachers and education support staff cannot be judged by student enrollment alone.

"In Seoul's case, the education office has ended up bearing an additional burden of about 99.6 billion won ($73.7 million) beyond its original share for major national policy programs — including free high school education, customized classrooms, sports instructors and after-school care," Jeong said. "When the government pursues new education policies, it needs to discuss the funding required to support them at the same time."

Jeong also noted that the stability of education finances affects both school workers' conditions and students' learning environment. "Education finance is not just a matter of wages and working conditions, nor is it solely the education office's budget problem," he said. "Stable working conditions and the care, meals, counseling and education that students receive are all interconnected."

He added that because wages and working conditions for education public service workers are determined each year through collective bargaining between education offices and unions, any weakening of fiscal stability could directly strain those negotiations and staffing operations. "The basis for any new grant formula and its medium- to long-term fiscal impact must be thoroughly verified," he said.

KCTU Chairman Yang said the decline in student numbers should be treated as an opportunity to improve educational conditions. "This is a golden moment to address things that could not be resolved in schools due to budget shortfalls," Yang said. "If student numbers are falling, we should use that as a chance to raise the quality of education, not cut the budget."

Yang criticized the government's direction on grant reform, saying it was wrong to claim that funding would actually increase while cutting the existing local education budget — even when additional support from a future-response fund would not be enough to cover the gap.

A general strike to defend the grants was also raised at the forum. Min Tae-ho, chairman of the National School Non-Regular Workers' Union, proposed going through a public deliberation body to gather broad opinions and hold proper discussions on restructuring education finance. "If that is not accepted, we are considering a general strike in November to defend education funding," Min said.

The participants said they plan to maintain dialogue with the National Assembly and work with the broader education community to protect the current system of grants tied to domestic tax revenues.


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