Gangwon Provincial Councilor Baek So-ryeon criticizes 37% execution rate for future education budget at audit

【Financial News Chuncheon = Reporter Kim Gi-seop】The future education projects in Taebaek and Samcheok, for which tens of billions of won were allocated, had spent only about a third of their budgets with the end of the year approaching.
According to the Gangwon Provincial Council on the 9th, Baek So-ryeon, a member of the council's Board of Education representing Chuncheon, took issue with the low execution rate and large amounts being carried over or returned for the project to build future-ready classroom environments during an administrative audit that day of the Taebaek and Samcheok education support offices. Baek called for an overhaul of budget management across the board, from project cost estimates and construction progress management to the evaluation of educational outcomes.
According to work report materials Baek received, the Taebaek Education Support Office had spent only 12.87 billion won of the 33.95 billion won budget set under the second supplementary budget, leaving its execution rate at 37.9%. Of the remaining 21.08 billion won, 12.95 billion won is set to be carried over to next year and 8.13 billion won returned. The Korea Aviation High School Green Smart School project accounted for 7.88 billion won, or 97% of the amount to be returned.
Baek noted that more than 8 billion won would have to be returned despite an earlier 3.19 billion won cut in the second supplementary budget, and questioned whether the project costs had been properly estimated in the first place. Baek also called for an explanation of why funds remained unspent during design changes and construction for the Korea Aviation High School project. Baek further pointed out that a substantial portion of this year's budget had been allocated to the reconstruction projects at Jangseong Elementary School and Hwangji Middle School, scheduled to run from this month through August 2028, and called for annual budgets to be set in line with construction progress, along with learning spaces and safety measures for students during construction.
The situation at the Samcheok Education Support Office was similar. It had spent 7.19 billion won of its total budget of 19.27 billion won, for an execution rate of 37.3%, leaving 12.07 billion won unspent. Baek said the office should first have considered how much of this year's budget could be used, given that the Geundeok Elementary School reconstruction project is scheduled to be put out to tender next February, and called for an analysis of the reasons for the delay and a realistic spending plan.
The facilities-focused direction of the projects also came under scrutiny. Baek pointed out that AI education projects, including Gangwon I-ro pilot schools, report only superficial results such as the number of participating schools, while the actual budgets invested and students' learning outcomes are difficult to verify. Baek criticized the approach, saying, "If they spend large sums under the banner of future education but focus only on construction results, it is hard to say they have fulfilled the purpose of the projects."
Baek said, "If execution rates remain in the 30% range, improvements to classroom environments are delayed accordingly, and students bear the consequences. We should evaluate projects not by how much funding was secured but by what has changed for students, and put the management system right so that money reaches where it is needed on time."

[email protected] Kim Gi-seop Reporter