Education 'Education Superintendent Office Visiting Events' Conclude 44-Day Journey...An Min-seok's 'Field-Focused' Gyeonggi Education Put to the Test

Gyeonggi Province Education Superintendent An Min-seok has completed his schedule for the '2026 Visiting Education Superintendent Office' parent town hall meetings, which visited all 31 cities and counties in the province. The tour, which began in Hwaseong on September 17, concluded its 44-day journey following the Uijeongbu event on October 30.

The final Uijeongbu town hall meeting was attended by approximately 200 people, including not only parents and school officials but also local National Assembly members and government and council officials from the region, who discussed local education issues. Rather than a simple courtesy visit, the structure created an opportunity for local government and political figures and parents to gather in one place to coordinate education policies.

Gyeonggi Education Agenda Reshaped by Field Voices

The issues raised intensively during this tour of 31 cities and counties are evaluated as addressing blind spots in existing education policies. Key topics that emerged from the field include ▲support for slow learners and borderline intellectual functioning students ▲transition to comfortable school uniforms ▲Phone-Free School and RAS (Rest, Physical Activity, Communication) education policies.

Superintendent An's responses also focused on administrative structural reform beyond immediate responses to individual issues. A prime example is his statement on support for slow learners: "We are developing practical measures tailored to individual students' characteristics, moving away from the existing uniform support framework."

Regarding school uniform policy, he addressed both the inconvenience of formal-style uniforms and unfair bidding issues. He plans to transfer uniform-related administrative duties from individual schools to education support offices to reduce administrative burdens on schools, while establishing a rigorous investigation policy on unfair practices such as collusion between suppliers. The vision is to separate schools from the center of administrative disputes.

Directly Taking On 'Malicious Complaints'...Key Issue is Ensuring Effectiveness of Teacher Rights Protection

The most striking point is the message protecting teachers exposed to malicious complaints. Superintendent An emphasized, "Please direct complaints to the superintendent, not to teachers." This is interpreted as diagnosing the cause of recent teacher rights infringements—a social problem—as a "complaint structure concentrated on individual teachers" and as the education office's commitment to serving as a breakwater directly.

Additionally, his call for participation in the 'Phone-Free Home' movement, which promotes digital detox within families, and RAS education reflects a realistic judgment that school education policies cannot be effective without family cooperation.

Remaining Tasks: 'Policy Implementation' and Field Execution of Converged Proposals

This town hall meeting served as an opportunity to reconfirm major challenges including private education cost reduction, education system transformation in the AI era, and bridging the educational gap between southern and northern Gyeonggi. The Gyeonggi Province Office of Education plans to develop customized policy improvement plans for each city and county based on the demands gathered during this tour.

However, the key question is whether the converged opinions can actually translate into budget allocation and institutional improvement. The 'School Principal Town Hall Meeting' scheduled for November is expected to serve as another test bed for examining how parents' demands can be implemented in schools, the front line of administration.