[Report File] Destiny depends on Insu? Shaking Ministry of Education

Recently, the atmosphere of the Ministry of Education is in turmoil as the work report of each department of the Presidential Transition Committee has begun.

This is because it is expected that the dissolution of the Ministry of Education will be discussed along with the issue of the existence of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family.

President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol's promises did not contain relevant details, but Ahn Cheol-soo, chairman of the transition committee, made a promise to disband the Ministry of Education when he was a presidential candidate.

As former Vice Minister of Education Na Seung-il, who was in charge of education policy at the Yun Seok-yeol camp, was not included in the transition committee of the science and technology education subcommittee, doubts are growing that the dissolution of the Ministry of Education is being discussed in earnest.

"Dissolve the Ministry of Education"... Can the National Education Commission replace the 'launched in July'?

In fact, the call for the dissolution of the Ministry of Education is not the first to be raised.

In particular, ahead of the launch of the National Education Commission in July, the reduction of the role of the Ministry of Education was considered inevitable.

To introduce the National Board of Education for a moment: 1. Establishment of education development plans such as mid- to long-term education system in units of ten years 2. Research and development and announcement of national curriculum 3. Collecting public opinion on education policy.

As an administrative committee under the direct control of the president, independent operation is guaranteed so that education policies can be continuously pursued even if the government changes.

In this way, the main tasks of the Ministry of Education, such as curriculum research and development and university admission policy establishment, will be transferred to the National Education Commission from July.

If so, can the National Board of Education take over all education-related tasks even if the Ministry of Education is disbanded?

I asked Chairman Kim Jin-kyung, who has been pushing for the establishment of the National Education Commission by serving as the head of the 1st planning group and the 2.3.4th chairman at the National Education Conference, an advisory body directly under the president since 2017.

= I do not know what the transition committee will do, but the issue of dissolution of the Ministry of Education must be viewed separately from higher vocational education and elementary and secondary education.

The industrial structure of Korea has continued to be highly advanced.

The part related to the supply and demand of manpower went up to higher education.

In fact, excluding vocational high schools, elementary and secondary education has a strong social safety net and social welfare concept.

(The two fields) have very different personalities, so the Ministry of Education will have to look at that part and organize it.

=I think we should take a serious look at the higher education (education) part.

The higher vocational (education) side is actually not just the Ministry of Education.

Almost all Buddhas have it now.

KAIST and GIST (Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology) are the Ministry of Science and Technology, vocational training is the Ministry of Employment and Labor, and Han Ye-jong (Korea National University of Arts) is the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. There are very few ministries that do not have higher vocational education.

But there is no control tower for this.

In this rapidly changing professional society, the central government does not have a control tower.

So I think the former departmental control tower of higher vocational education, this is very urgent.

The Ministry of Strategy and Finance and Ministry of Government Administration and Home Affairs must form a control tower where all these ministries can enter, but it is difficult with the Ministry of Education

= The elementary and middle school divisions have a lot of authority in the Ministry of Education now.

By amending the Government Organization Act, there is a function that the central (government) must do even if it is given down as much as possible (to the provincial and provincial offices of education) in the elementary and secondary schools.

Safety, budget, law, these are things that the superintendent can't do.

In order for the National Board of Education to take charge of this part, the law must be amended to make it a consensus administrative body.

The conclusion is that the National Board of Education does not have the authority to enact laws and budget for policy enforcement, so it is impossible to replace the Ministry of Education without amending the law.

Instead, Chairman Kim Jin-kyung proposed a Finnish-style National Education Commission.

The idea is to separate kindergarten, elementary and secondary education and higher vocational education and give them the functions of ministries.

Of course, this is a matter that requires amendment of the law.

=If possible, I think it's okay to go Finnish.

Finland's National Education Commission is a consensus-based administrative body.

There is an agreement body between the boards of elementary and secondary education boards (sub-administrative bodies) attached to it, but there is a separate department for higher occupations.

Consensus Administrative Organizations are de facto ministries.

It is a ministries, but it operates on a consensus system.

Opposition parties and civil society also come in, and there is a body to reach an agreement, and there is a ministries with sub-administrative bodies attached to it.

= It is not advisable to bring education from the science and technology side.

Elementary and secondary education has effectively become a social safety net, but education that only looks at the elite should never be done.

So it's really bad to go to education there.

University education has become almost universal education in Korea.

But when it goes to technology, it's going to go towards elitism.

So I worry a lot.

Finally, we asked if getting rid of the Ministry of Education was the real solution.

Chairman Kim Jin-kyung is not saying she's going to get rid of it, but she pointed out that it's time for a change.

It is not possible with the current Ministry of Education organization.

I was a little surprised at the resolute answer of a person who has been thinking about the 100-year system of education in Korea under the Moon Jae-in administration for the past five years.

The transition committee will receive a work report from the Ministry of Education on the 25th.

Chairman Kim Jin-kyung chuckled that she had not yet received a report on her work from the transition committee.