During a National Assembly audit on education held on October 14, lawmakers criticized the Seoul Education Office for its lack of support for special education teachers and raised concerns about the fairness of proposed college entrance and evaluation reforms by Superintendent Jeong Geun-sik. Unlike other regional education offices, the Seoul Education Office has reported zero instances of support for special education teachers, prompting calls for thorough measures to address potential distrust in student records and grading fairness amid the transition to absolute evaluation and the introduction of written assessments.
Rep. Kim Jun-hyuk of the Democratic Party stated, "88% of special education teachers experience injuries while guiding students with disabilities, yet the process for public treatment cost support is so complicated that it is difficult to apply." He noted that from 2022 to 2026, data from various education offices showed that the Seoul Education Office had recorded 'zero' instances of support (excluding one item compensation of 417,000 won).
Kim emphasized, "Since these injuries occur within the public education system, support for treatment costs is essential," urging the need to simplify the overly complex procedures compared to other regions to facilitate teachers' access and ensure prompt budget support. In response, Superintendent Jeong acknowledged the oversight and stated, "Thank you for pointing out the neglected areas. We have conducted internal reviews, and if there are inadequate regulations, we will amend them to prevent future issues."
Kim also raised concerns regarding Jeong's previously proposed reforms to the college entrance and evaluation system. Jeong had suggested transitioning to absolute evaluation for grades and the college entrance exam, introducing written assessments, and gradually abolishing the college entrance exam by focusing on student growth history.
Kim pointed out, "While this may be interpreted as an expansion of admissions and increased reliance on student records, an audit released in July revealed that 83 teachers from 239 high schools in Seoul had engaged in 'copy-pasting' student records, severely undermining trust and fairness." He further expressed concerns about the potential discrepancies between AI grading and teacher assessments in written evaluations, noting that the grading accuracy was below 90%, making fairness disputes inevitable.
In response, Jeong clarified, "The abolition of the college entrance exam is not an immediate initiative but a gradual approach aligned with public education goals, aiming for a target around 2040." He added that regarding written assessments, the office has been focusing on this as a key project since last year, conducting pilot programs in 66 schools to closely monitor the consistency and discrepancies between teacher evaluations and AI assessments.
Rep. Kim Jun-hyuk of the Democratic Party stated, "88% of special education teachers experience injuries while guiding students with disabilities, yet the process for public treatment cost support is so complicated that it is difficult to apply." He noted that from 2022 to 2026, data from various education offices showed that the Seoul Education Office had recorded 'zero' instances of support (excluding one item compensation of 417,000 won).
Kim emphasized, "Since these injuries occur within the public education system, support for treatment costs is essential," urging the need to simplify the overly complex procedures compared to other regions to facilitate teachers' access and ensure prompt budget support. In response, Superintendent Jeong acknowledged the oversight and stated, "Thank you for pointing out the neglected areas. We have conducted internal reviews, and if there are inadequate regulations, we will amend them to prevent future issues."
Kim also raised concerns regarding Jeong's previously proposed reforms to the college entrance and evaluation system. Jeong had suggested transitioning to absolute evaluation for grades and the college entrance exam, introducing written assessments, and gradually abolishing the college entrance exam by focusing on student growth history.
Kim pointed out, "While this may be interpreted as an expansion of admissions and increased reliance on student records, an audit released in July revealed that 83 teachers from 239 high schools in Seoul had engaged in 'copy-pasting' student records, severely undermining trust and fairness." He further expressed concerns about the potential discrepancies between AI grading and teacher assessments in written evaluations, noting that the grading accuracy was below 90%, making fairness disputes inevitable.
In response, Jeong clarified, "The abolition of the college entrance exam is not an immediate initiative but a gradual approach aligned with public education goals, aiming for a target around 2040." He added that regarding written assessments, the office has been focusing on this as a key project since last year, conducting pilot programs in 66 schools to closely monitor the consistency and discrepancies between teacher evaluations and AI assessments.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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