Gyeonggi Provincial Assembly Pumps Brakes on An Min-seok's 'Teacher Rights Protection Officer' Initiative... "Policy is Right, but Procedures are Lacking"

The Gyeonggi Provincial Assembly, which holds ordinance-making authority, has issued sharp criticism of the teacher rights protection officer system that Gyeonggi Provincial Superintendent of Education An Min-seok has strongly promoted.

This occurred during the Education and Administration Committee of the Gyeonggi Provincial Assembly's second standing committee meeting on the 17th, where it examined the Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education's 'Ordinance on the Operation of Teacher Rights Protection Officer.'

Committee member Son Seong-ik (Democratic Party, Paju District 3) agreed with the ordinance's intent while pointing out procedural shortcomings and areas requiring supplementation.

Son requested that the executive branch provide △ detailed role assignments by job category for teacher rights protection officers and manuals for field deployment △ explicit written safeguards for the authority and status protection of teacher rights protection officers △ submission of a mid-to-long-term roadmap for the Teacher Rights Protection Bureau.

Son first welcomed the Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education's historic recruitment and launch of 300 teacher rights protection officers nationwide, calling it "a measure reflecting the executive branch's strong resolve not to leave teachers alone."

However, Son pointed out that as the system was launched rapidly, operational procedures were not adequately prepared. He noted that administrative procedures are unclear regarding at what stage and in what capacity teacher rights protection officer personnel are deployed when incidents occur at schools, how roles are divided by job category, and how coordination occurs with existing school principals' authority.

Son cited a case from August 11 when he requested a list and status information to verify the effectiveness of the teacher rights protection officer system, but the executive branch refused to submit the materials, claiming it had not obtained consent for third-party provision outside the recruitment purpose and expressing concern that public grievance handling activities could be dampened if teacher rights protection officers' identities were exposed.

Um Gyo-seop, committee vice-chairman (Democratic Party, Yongin District 11), also harshly criticized the ad-hoc administration and the attitude of disregarding the assembly revealed in the Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education's push for the 'Ordinance on the Operation of Teacher Rights Protection Officers.'

Vice-chairman Um stated, "Without proper manuals and institutional improvements in place, they hastily recruited and deployed officers like lightning and recklessly drove forward with unlicensed driving, and now they come to the assembly asking us to clean up the mess. This is not merely a policy disagreement but a matter of the executive branch's flawed perception and attitude toward the assembly," he said.

Particularly regarding the executive branch's practice of implementing policy first, establishing organizations, and then demanding that "an ordinance be created," he expressed concern, stating, "The Gyeonggi Provincial Assembly is not a rubber stamp to approve the executive branch's projects. It is a constitutional institution representing the residents, checking and monitoring administration."

Finally, Vice-chairman Um stated, "If the 'breaking barriers' that the superintendent emphasizes means breaking down communication walls between the education office and assembly, I support it. But if it means bypassing and skipping standing committees, it is absolutely unacceptable. The education office should take this incident as a painful lesson, abandon willfulness and haste, and return to the path of genuinely responsible administration," he urged strongly.