[Editorial] Are There No Areas to Improve in 'An Min-seok's Education Director Recruitment System'?

The motto that Gyeonggi Province Superintendent of Education An Min-seok has emphasized since before taking office is "a great transformation in Gyeonggi education." "It is a path not yet taken, but one that must be taken, so I will take courage and walk it," expresses Superintendent An's determination. Among the "five educational reform policies for the great transformation of Gyeonggi education" promised by Superintendent An, there is the "education director recruitment system." Superintendent An's thinking is that "the first step in solving school problems is to select capable and competent education directors."

Until now, education directors have been collectively recruited by the Office of Education. It was the superintendent's authority. However, when Superintendent An announced plans to move away from the existing method and introduce a community-recommended recruitment system involving teachers, students, parents, and local residents, the education sector was abuzz. "A new model of educational autonomy that strengthens community-oriented educational administration by recruiting personnel knowledgeable about local educational issues," was Superintendent An's explanation.

The education director recruitment system was implemented immediately thereafter. The list of 11 education directors who competed at a ratio of 3.4 to 1 in the "community-recommended education director recruitment system," implemented for the first time nationwide by the provincial Office of Education, was announced. When announcing the results himself, Superintendent An stated, "The greatest achievement of this recruitment is that I relinquished the vested interests of the superintendent in appointing education directors and returned that authority to the local community and society."

The appointed education directors serve two-year terms, and Superintendent An's explanation that one year is spent understanding unfamiliar local conditions and thus fails to fully utilize their roles, authority, and responsibilities is reasonable. As a result of comprehensively evaluating △educational expertise △leadership △vision for local education △communication and collaboration capabilities, 11 community-recommended education directors were selected: Suwon (Kim Hye-ri), Seongnam (Lee Sang-chul), Goyang (Kang Hyun-ju), Hwaseong-Osan (Kim Young-ki), Siheung (Kim Byung-san), Uijeongbu (Kim Kyou-su), Dongducheon-Yangju (Kang Jung-su), Gimpo (Kwon Sung-gyu), Yeoncheon (Lee Moon-gu), Pocheon (Ryu Gwi-yeol), and Anseong (Kim Beom-jin). The education director of Yeoju Office of Education (Kim Sang-sung) was retained.

Overall public opinion is positive toward the "community-recommended education director recruitment system." However, concerns have been raised that fairness and transparency in the implementation process need to be improved. Councilor Lee Geon-han (Democratic Party·Yongin 8) of the Gyeonggi Provincial Assembly Education Planning Committee called for a comprehensive review of the system. On the 29th of last month, during the Gyeonggi Province Office of Education's business report, Councilor Lee pointed out that it was "pursued without sufficient prior consultation and institutional preparation." Councilor Lee disclosed that the recruitment system proceeded as an "internal-type recruitment" rather than a "community-recommended" system. This raises questions about whether the local community actually participated in substance in the candidate recommendation and selection process. He also demanded the establishment of objective selection principles and institutional safeguards.

Comprehensive examination of the composition and operation of the deliberation committee, candidate evaluation criteria, and online peer evaluation methods is needed, and the provincial Office of Education must listen to Councilor Lee's argument that problems revealed in the implementation process should be addressed. Given the strong public interest in the provincial Office of Education's education director recruitment system, we hope that areas found to be insufficient in this recruitment process will be improved.