[Contribution] Educational bureaucrats must take responsibility for their actions

The post of minister of education is to be upgraded to the deputy prime ministerial level and the Ministry of Education (MOE) will be renamed the Ministry of Education and Human Resources under the revised Government Organization Law.

The status of the new Ministry of Education and Human Resources, previously ranked seventh under the government organizational system, will be second only to the Ministry of Finance and Economy.

The new education ministry will carry out the two pivotal roles of developing human resources and administering education policy.

But it remains to be seen whether the national education system will fulfill its given role even with the minister of education`s upgraded stature.

The history of national education shows that "crippled¡¯¡¯ economic policies have been implemented whenever governments and ministers of education are changed. In addition, educational bureaucrats with no teaching experience have typically monopolized economic policies and reigned over teachers, forgetting their responsibility to support the education system.

Such a monopoly by educational bureaucrats previously stood in the way of educational democratization and reform, thus crippling the education system.

Although three years have passed since the inauguration of the incumbent government, educational policies are drifting and the people are confused. That¡¯s not all. The government has implemented policies that run counter to educational realities.

They include the irresponsible reduction in the retirement age for teachers, Brain Korea (BK) 21 projects, the reviewuation system for universities, yearly allowances for professors and the reviewuation system for professors, among others.

At the same time, the government glossed over various educational irregularities and scandals that broke out, such as the scandal over illegal university entrance, unfair employment practices and the bribery of educational officials.

The government should heed the words of those who feel that: ¡°The national education system will flourish only when MOE ceases to exist.¡±

However, as the old saying goes, ¡°Well begun is half done.¡± The new Ministry of Education and Human Resources should be reborn under a new paradigm. It lacks logic and a vision for education in the era of unlimited competition, innovation and cultural changes.

The MOE must reflect on what it has done and adopt the attitude needed to change. The ministry should be restructured such that it better supports education and there must be a drastic change in the mindsets of educational officials.

The regulation-oriented bureaucratic way of thinking on educational administration should be discarded and autonomy should be fully guaranteed.

Educational experts should be allowed to participate in formulating educational policies and in planning educational budgets.

The ministry is also called upon to solicit the input of teachers, teachers¡¯ organizations, parents¡¯ groups and students, in other words, the people who will actually implement educational reform in our school.

Prof. Lee Yun-Bae of Computer Engineering at Chosun University