Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Ya-ta Boy]

There was a big brawl in the National Assembly the other day over a reform bill concerning the governance of private schools. You can read about the brawl here if you're interested: http://joongangdaily.joins.com/200512/09/200512092215544239900090309031.html

The issue itself is of concern to teachers, especially private school teachers.

The JoongAng Ilbo, a conservative paper published this editorial about it.

EDITORIALS]Teachers win, kids lose

A new private school bill has passed the National Assembly. Amid fierce protest by lawmakers of the major opposition Grand National Party, the assembly speaker presented the bill at the plenary session for voting and the governing Uri Party passed it in cooperation with the minor opposition Democratic Labor Party and Democratic Party. In the process, governing party lawmakers mobilized their aides and even chauffeurs to physically hinder Grand National Party lawmakers from entering the assembly hall. Of course, there were physical fights and abusive words.
There is a political calculation behind the governing Uri Party's forced passage of the private school bill. It is partly because President Roh Moo-hyun has just a 20-percent approval rating while the governing party is half as popular as the Grand National Party. Also, the governing party had been criticized by the Korean Teachers and Educational Workers Union and left-wing civic groups for failing to pass the so-called "reform bills" properly in the assembly. The governing party seems to have concluded that they should please traditional supporters because those who oppose the new private school bill are unlikely to support the party anyway. The party must have considered that the new private school bill issue was being treated as a symbol of ideological conflict between conservatives and progressives. We regret that the governing Uri Party has applied political interests and ideology to an educational issue tied to the nation's future.
It is schools that will be directly battered by the forced passing of the new private school bill. The bill requires private schools to fill at least a quarter of directorial board members with outside figures recommended by the school operations committees. The committees have to recommend twice as many persons as the empty board seats, so that the foundation of the private schools can make a selection. But this has little meaning because the foundations should select persons from a recommended list. The influence of the Korean Teachers and Educational Workers Union will strengthen greatly.
Meanwhile, a third of the members of the school operation committees are teachers. Another third are parents and the others are prominent citizens of the region. The key thing is that teachers will intervene in the management of schools. The unionized teachers are already misleading students with ideological education. Now they will practically intervene in the management of schools through the school operation committees. The Education Ministry and school principals have long been influenced by unionized teachers. Now the new private school bill has given them strong authority to directly and indirectly intervene in the management of the schools. The negative effects will be great.
The Korean Association of Private School Foundations had already said that their members will refuse to take new students next year and will close their schools if the bill is approved by the National Assembly. The victims of such moves would clearly be the students. Amid the duals between the Association of Private School Foundations and the unionized teachers and between private schools and the government, education will be lost and confusion in society will become serious.

[marcus]

a brawl over an education bill.

awesome.

only mudwrestling over a starcraft bill could top this.

[Ya-ta Boy]

The brawl was not the important part of the article. Fun but not important. The important thing was the effect on private schools. Yesterday some of the private schools delivered their reaction.

From today's Chosun Ilbo:

Seoul, Daegu Private Schools Halt Admissions

In a show of protest against a revised Private School Law the government railroaded through the National Assembly on the last day of sessions, private middle and high schools in Seoul and Daegu say they will admit no new students next year. The law passed Friday over an opposition walkout and requires 20 percent of school boards to be made up of teachers and parents unrelated to the owners.
The Seoul and Daegu chapters of the Association of Private School Foundations decided to admit no more students at their board meetings on Thursday. They are the first chapters to make good on a threat from the association made after the law was passed.

In Seoul, private middle schools account for 30.3 percent or 110 of a total of 363 and private high schools for a massive 65.4 percent or 140 of 214 high schools. In Daegu, there are 34 private middle schools and 49 private high schools out of a total of 117 and 84.

The Seoul Education Office warned of drastic steps if private schools refuse to accept students, including firing their boards of directors.

Meanwhile, Education Minister Kim Jin-pyo in an effort to resolve the conflict met with the Ven. Ji Kwan, an executive director of the Joggye Order of Buddhism on Thursday and will visit Cardinal Stephen Kim Su-hwan on Friday. Both religious leaders have publicly opposed the bill.

***

If I were working in a private school, I think I'd be asking my co-teacher(s) if my school were involved in this and what effect it might have on my job if it is.

[Mr. Pink]

When I read that I wonder. I work at a private high school. But we have one owner. It is a single person, and I never heard of us having any "board". Perhaps those are for the high schools that companies or corporations run?

I haven't heard anything about our school not being open. ATM we have a PTA sort of organization and they have massive power on what goes on with the school...so I am slightly confused over that article and the implications it may have towards my school.

[Yu_Bum_suk]

Since my private school is the only girls high school in town and the nearest alternative is a mixed school 20 minutes away, I think not. Given how rife it is with nepotism and old boys (and girls) neworks, this legislation seems quite reasonable and justified.