전북교육감 후보들, 교육정책에 학생은 주체가 아니라 교육의 대상화

Candidates who have declared their candidacy for the election of the Superintendent of Education in Jeonbuk are offering distinctly different solutions based on their own experiences and educational philosophies in the face of the common challenge of 'local extinction crisis'. With candidates including a university professor from a teaching background, a university president, an educational administrator, and former teachers, the differences in each candidate's educational philosophy are more clearly evident in this election than ever before.

<b>Cheon Hosung: Education that Seeks Answers on the Ground</b>

Candidate Cheon Hosung advocates for 'responsibility-centered education on the ground' as a core value. His main policy proposal, the 'Basic Academic Responsibility System', envisions tailored education from birth to university being the responsibility of the nation. He combines this with a comprehensive vision that includes future education using AI, a 4-dimensional education safety net created by students, parents, teachers, and the local community, and a model where schools and communities coexist to address the local extinction crisis.

<b>Lee Namho: Decentralization of Authority and Restoration of Academic Competitiveness</b>

Lee Namho defines Jeonbuk education as a 'comprehensive crisis' and, drawing on his experience as the former president of Jeonbuk University, emphasizes decentralizing authority as the core of reform. In his main policy proposal, the 'Local Responsibility Education Autonomy Innovation Plan', he boldly suggests transferring the authority of the provincial education office to the educational support office, introducing a system where residents participate in the selection of educational leaders, and focusing on raising the overall level rather than just resolving academic disparities.

<b>Hwang Hojin and Yoo Seongdong: Change the Educational Administrative Structure Itself</b>

Hwang Hojin and Yoo Seongdong officially formed a policy and innovation alliance on April 2, introducing a different voice. While Cheon Hosung and Lee Namho mainly focus on changes in educational content, Hwang Hojin and Yoo Seongdong are more passive about fundamental innovation in the educational administrative structure. They share the perception that the Superintendent of Education and the educational office organization should be decentralized and made more transparent. They also propose practical solutions combining field experience and administrative abilities. While Hwang Hojin shows an open stance on unification, Yoo Seongdong expresses his intention to see it through to the end, indicating a subtle difference between the two.

<b>A Crossroads of Three Paths</b>

Ultimately, the election for the Superintendent of Education in Jeonbuk is a confrontation of three paths. Cheon Hosung's 'ground-centered' path, Lee Namho's 'academic-centered and administrative decentralization' path, and Hwang Hojin and Yoo Seongdong's 'educational administrative structure innovation' path are competing based on their support base and vision.

<b>A Common Shadow of Teacher-Centered Promises</b>

Despite the differences in paths, there is a common uncomfortable denominator for the candidates in this election. In all the candidates' promises, students do not emerge as the subjects of education. Whether it is basic academic skills, upward leveling, administrative decentralization, or structural innovation, all issues are ultimately designed in the language of teachers and educational administrators. Even though the protection of educational authority emerges as a top priority task, the fact that students, who are the reason for the existence of schools, are only mentioned as beneficiaries of promises without being portrayed as individuals with their own voices, is a point to be noted. The fact that the reality, where the protection of educational authority accounts for 68.1% of the top priority task among field teachers in the Jeonbuk Teachers' Union survey, is directly reflected in the design of the candidates' promises.

<b>Teachers Can Also Become Perpetrators - Silent Candidates</b>

While the discourse of protecting educational authority covers the election stage, there is an uncomfortable truth that candidates do not openly address. There are confirmed cases in the Jeonbuk region where some teachers have harassed students, accused and slandered parents, and systematically isolated them. The 'Red Card Incident' at M Elementary School in Jeonju is a typical example. A teacher, a former head of the local teachers' union, filed a criminal complaint against a parent and later controversially volunteered to be the homeroom teacher of the child of that parent. In other words, it was a struggle against parents and students.

This is not just an individual deviation but a structural problem. As the educational authority protection system strengthens, some teachers are paradoxically using it as a shield to justify the abuse of accusations and complaints against students and parents. There is almost no discussion about institutional checks on unfair complaints and accusations raised by teachers against students and parents. As candidates who are inevitably conscious of the organization of the teacher groups before the election, it is also difficult for them to address this issue head-on structurally.

The essence of education lies in treating each student as a complete individual. While educational authority and student rights are not opposing concepts, in the language of the Jeonbuk Superintendent of Education election, students tend to be depicted as subjects who must obey the authority of teachers rather than beings who should be protected. The courage to criticize teachers' unfair actions towards students, and the declaration to stand on the side of students even if it conflicts with the understanding of teacher organizations, are not yet evident in any candidate in this election.

<b>Where is the 'Student-Centered Education'?</b>

The criterion for distinguishing progress and conservatism in education is not political orientation but whether students are respected as the subjects of education or viewed only as objects to be managed and nurtured. In the past, during the era when the principle of 'true education' was elevated, with the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union at the center, the progressive education sector received support because it placed student rights at the forefront of educational issues. However, finding the successor to that in the Jeonbuk Superintendent of Education election is not easy. While the candidates all cry out for innovation and reform, the vision of students as the designers of education, and schools as spaces where students themselves create, is not clearly articulated in any policy manifesto. For the proposition that education is for students to become the foundation of policy rather than just an election slogan, the voice of students must live within the core of promises, not just in the words of the candidates.

📝 Brief Summary:
Candidates running for the Superintendent of Education in Jeonbuk are proposing different solutions based on their experiences and educational philosophies to address the 'local extinction crisis'. The candidates include a university professor, a university president, an educational administrator, and former teachers, each presenting unique approaches to education.

🗣️ Natural Korean Translation:
전북 교육감 선거에 출마한 후보들은 각자의 경험과 교육 철학에 기반한 다양한 해결책을 제시하고 있습니다. 대학 교수, 대학 총장, 교육 관리자 및 전 교사를 포함한 후보들은 각각 교육에 대한 독특한 접근 방식을 제시하고 있습니다.

❓ Comprehension Questions:
1. What are the main differences in the educational philosophies of the candidates in the Jeonbuk Superintendent of Education election?
후보들의 교육 철학에서 주요한 차이점은 무엇인가요?
2. How does Lee Namho propose to reform education in Jeonbuk?
이 남호는 전북의 교육을 어떻게 개혁하고자 합니까?
3. What is the common concern among all the candidates regarding the focus of education in the election?
선거에서 교육에 대한 주요 관심사는 무엇인가요?

💡 Vocabulary Learning:
1. advocate (v.) - 옹호하다
- To advocate for environmental protection, we must reduce our carbon footprint.
- 환경 보호를 옹호하기 위해 우리는 탄소 발자국을 줄여야 합니다.
2. decentralization (n.) - 분권화
- The company is considering decentralization to improve decision-making efficiency.
- 회사는 의사 결정 효율성을 향상시키기 위해 분권화를 고려하고 있습니다.
3. innovation (n.) - 혁신
- The new smartphone features cutting-edge innovation in its design.
- 새로운 스마트폰은 디자인에서 최첨단 혁신을 선보입니다.
4. confrontation (n.) - 대립, 대결
- The political parties were in a confrontation over the new policy.
- 정당들은 새로운 정책을 둘러싼 대립 상태에 있었습니다.
5. perpetrator (n.) - 가해자
- The perpetrator of the crime was finally brought to justice.
- 범죄의 가해자가 마침내 법에 의해 처벌을 받았습니다.

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