NEW EDUCATION SUPERINTENDENTS

[Anchor Lead]

Newly elected municipal and provincial superintendents of education have started their four-year terms this month. Nine of them are liberals. Eight are conservatives. They have all pledged to enhance basic academic skills, which have deteriorated during the pandemic. But they are all offering different solutions. Conflicts are expected over the high school credit system and the closures of autonomous private high schools.

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An extracurricular class is underway to help students catch up. It's a small class, so students feel comfortable asking questions. The teacher is also satisfied, as every student can be given attention.

[Soundbite] Bang Ji-hyun(High school student) : "This helps me learn again what I have missed. I like it a lot."

The newly elected 17 municipal and provincial superintendents of education have started their terms. They all pledged to enhance students' basic academic skills.

[Soundbite] Lim Tae-hee(Superintendent of Gyeonggi-do Office of Education) : "I want to make sure each student can maximize and display their abilities."

But each of them is offering a different solution. Conservative superintendents say academic performance evaluation should be expanded. Some liberal superintendents also largely agree.

[Soundbite] Ha Yoon-soo(Superintendent of Busan Office of Education) : "We should accurately assess students' basic academic skills instead of knowing nothing about where they stand."

[Soundbite] Kim Dae-jung(Superintendent of Jeollanam-do Office of Education) : "We must start innovating education now to help students bolster their future capacity."

Most liberal superintendents are opposed to expanding academic performance evaluation, as they believe it will only result in rating students by score.

[Soundbite] Cho Hee-yeon(Superintendent of Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education) : "We should do away with the outdated standardized testing and utilize AI to improve our assessment system."

The high school credit system, set to be introduced in 2025, is also a subject of controversy. Its framework was created by the government. But the local superintendents of education who must enforce it, seem to be split on how to make that happen. Not all conservative superintendents are opposed to it, and not all liberally inclined ones are entirely in its favor. They are also widely split on whether or not autonomous private high schools should be abolished.

[Soundbite] Prof. Chung Je-young(Ewha Womans' Univ.) : "The Nat’l Council of Governors of Education consisting of 17 superintendents of education should try to narrow differences in policy views to ensure consistency in state policies and systems."

The newly elected superintendents of education will also likely clash over innovative schools and the Student Human Rights Ordinance, both proposed by liberal superintendents.