Backlash follows rejection of Jejudo education office reorganization plan as seven teacher and parent groups push back

【Financial News, Jeju | Jeong Yong-bok】 Seven groups, including teachers’ and civil servants’ unions and parent organizations, are voicing successive objections to the Jeju Special Self-Governing Provincial Council’s rejection of the education office’s reorganization plan. A dispute between the institutions over personnel authority for professional advisers to the Provincial Council’s Education Committee has stalled even the creation of units to protect teachers’ rights and support at-risk students, putting both the council’s accountability for the vote and the education office’s lack of communication under scrutiny.
According to people in Jeju’s education sector on the 2nd, the Jeju Federation of Teachers’ Associations (Jeju KFTA), the Jeju branch of the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union (KTU), the Jejudo Office of Education Civil Servants’ Union, the Jeju Practical Education Teachers’ Group, the Good Teacher Movement Jeju Group and the Jeju Education Hope Network have all stated their opposition to the plan’s rejection. The Jeju branch of the National Parents’ Association for True Education has also issued a critical statement.
The controversy began at the second plenary session of the 455th extraordinary session of the Jeju Provincial Council on October 23. The amendment to the Jejudo Office of Education’s Ordinance on the Establishment of Administrative Organizations was rejected, with 4 votes in favor, 28 against and 9 abstentions among the 41 council members present. A related amendment to the ordinance setting the authorized number of local government officials under the superintendent of education also failed to pass, with 5 votes in favor, 28 against and 8 abstentions.
The two ordinances had passed as originally proposed at the Education Committee, the relevant standing committee, just two days earlier, on the 21st. But at the plenary session, only council member Kim Hye-ji among the seven Education Committee members voted in favor. Education Committee Chair Kang Dong-u voted against, while the other five abstained. This has prompted calls for an explanation of why measures approved by the standing committee were reversed just two days later.

The reorganization plan called for reducing the education office headquarters’ three-bureau structure to two bureaus and merging the existing Safety Bureau and Administration Bureau into an Administration and Safety Bureau. In their place, it was designed to strengthen support for schools by establishing, among other units, an Office for the Protection of Educational Activities directly under the superintendent, a Student Integrated Support Division, a School Support Policy Promotion Team and a Jeju April 3 Education Division.
The Student Integrated Support Division is intended to assist at-risk students by coordinating student safety, emotional and welfare services, and tailored support currently dispersed across several departments. The Office for the Protection of Educational Activities was designed to handle everything from preventing violations of teachers’ rights to resolving conflicts and helping affected teachers recover. The School Support Policy Promotion Team would reduce teachers’ administrative workload, while the Jeju April 3 Education Division was expected to oversee peace and human rights education in preparation for the 80th anniversary of the Jeju April 3 Incident in 2028.
A central issue in the rejection was the affiliation and personnel authority of the Education Committee’s Office of Professional Advisers, which was not directly addressed in the reorganization plan. The provincial council had called for transferring the six authorized positions for civil servants working in the office from the education office to the provincial governor’s jurisdiction. The council’s position is that the support office needs personnel independence because the council oversees the education office’s budget and policies.
During the opposition debate at the plenary session on October 23, Ha Seong-yong, chair of the Committee on Council Operations, said, “The education office pushed ahead with the reorganization without giving a clear answer to the council’s request regarding the operating structure of the Office of Professional Advisers.” Council Chair Song Yeong-hun also criticized the education office’s lack of communication, saying, “We need to reflect on whether there was sufficient consultation with the council during the process of developing major policies and reorganizing the organization.”

By contrast, the Jeju KFTA and the Jeju branch of the KTU argued that the personnel authority issue concerning the professional advisers should be discussed separately from the reorganization of school support units. The Jeju KFTA noted the education office’s lack of prior coordination but said it was inappropriate for support units serving schools to be derailed because of differences between the institutions.
The Jeju branch of the KTU called for reconsideration by the end of the year, saying the establishment of the Office for the Protection of Educational Activities and the Student Integrated Support Division must not be delayed any further. The Jeju Practical Education Teachers’ Group also stressed the need for a dedicated system to support students and protect teachers’ rights. The Good Teacher Movement Jeju Group and the Jeju Education Hope Network likewise expressed regret over the rejection, while the network demanded an explanation and an apology for the Education Committee’s reversal of its vote.
The Jejudo Office of Education Civil Servants’ Union said the provincial council should provide a specific explanation of the legal basis and necessity for its demand to transfer the six authorized positions in the Office of Professional Advisers. It also voiced concern about an administrative gap in schools, saying the rejection had cast doubt on whether temporary positions responsible for after-school programs and childcare would be extended.
Parent organizations directed their criticism at both the provincial council and the education office. In a statement issued on October 30, the Jeju branch of the National Parents’ Association for True Education criticized the failure to establish the Student Integrated Support Division and urged the Education Committee to explain why it changed its position just two days later. It also said the education office could not avoid responsibility for failing to consult and persuade the council in advance, and called on it to draw up the reorganization plan again.

Jejudo Superintendent of Education Ko Ui-suk publicly apologized for the rejection of the reorganization plan at a press conference on October 27. Ko said, “I accept the criticism that communication and cooperation with the council were insufficient, and will minimize the harm to schools.” Ko also maintained that while she agreed on the need for personnel independence for the Office of Professional Advisers, the issue required thorough review because it was connected to the system of educational autonomy after the sunset of the elected education councilor system.
The rejection of the ordinances has cast doubt on whether the reorganization can take effect in January 2027, as originally planned. Existing student support and teacher-rights protection work will not stop immediately, but the creation of new dedicated units and plans for staffing after-school and childcare programs could be disrupted.
Education groups are calling for a revised proposal to be brought forward again starting with the November session and passed by the end of the year, as well as for an interim response system to prevent gaps in student support and the protection of educational activities before then. How to reconcile the provincial council’s bid to secure personnel independence with the education office’s reorganization of school support units remains a challenge.


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