Kwak's policies rolled back

Acting chief makes right turn on Seoul's education policy

By Kim Rahn

Seoul’s acting top educator is moving to reconsider projects that were promoted by former chief Kwak No-hyun whose conviction on bribery charges was upheld by the Supreme Court last week.

Lee Dae-young, vice superintendent of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education (SMOE), said Tuesday that projects scheduled to be launched or expanded would be reviewed to see whether they were really needed and if a proper budget had been allocated.

It is likely that many key reforms by the liberal-minded Kwak may be scrapped under the conservative acting chief, especially because the office’s budget for next year will be set around the end of October, before the December election for a new head.

“I want all departments to submit lists of tasks they have promoted. After reviewing them, I’ll decide as soon as possible what to continue and what to scrap,” Lee said during a meeting with SMOE department heads.

He said he won’t push ahead with Kwak’s key policies in order to minimize pressure on the new chief, whatever political inclination he or she will have.

Lee also announced that among 624 projects the office has promoted this year with its budget, 88 will be abolished and 524 will be reduced. Those to be scrapped include some of Kwak’s core projects, such as having more art and gym classes, having schools equipped with more musical instruments, and offering financial support to improve students’ hobby clubs.

Lee also said Kwak’s restructuring plan was conducted in improper ways, led by a few of his close aides. “The restructuring will be reconsidered from the start. SMOE workers may have been shocked by the guilty verdict on Kwak, but on the other hand, it will allow them to work according to principles. We will no longer have plans secretly made by some of the chief’s aides,” he said.

Kwak also actively promoted “innovation schools,” small schools having autonomy in curriculum and management, but Lee said, “Schools which have already been designated as innovation ones should continue, in order to minimize students’ and teachers’ confusion. But whether to designate more will be up to the new chief.”

Regarding the free school meal program which Kwak imposed, Lee said it was irreversible. “But this is the time to talk about the quality of the meals. Parents complain of poor ingredients due to the limited budget,” he said.