The purpose of this study was to investigate the operational realities and related problems of Korean educational autonomy administration and present a proposal for its improvement.
This was achreved not only by examining the ralationship betwoom the...
The purpose of this study was to investigate the operational realities and related problems of Korean educational autonomy administration and present a proposal for its improvement.
This was achreved not only by examining the ralationship betwoom the local administrative autonomy system and the local educational autonomy system, but by studying related literature and examples of other advanced countries in this respect.
The findings of the study wers summarized on the basis of five basic principles of educational autonomy: Decentralization of policy making, partioipation of local residents, indepandence of educational abminatration, management by educational professionals, independence of finance.
1. Concerning the "decentralization of polioy making."
(1) Policy making in educational administration is centralized and aducational affairs are strictly controlled by special city and provincial Boards of Education, with city and county Education Offices having little power to make decisions on important educational affairs.
(2) Special city and provincial Boards of Eduoation are a mandastory deliberative organ, with no autonomy in audit and inspection.
2. Concerning the "participation of local residents"
While Board memders are elected by local residents, the superintendent of spscial city and provincial Boards of Ebucation is elected by Board members themselves, resulting in limitation of local residents, direct participation in educational policy making. In addition, the current board memder elsction procadure cannot preclude partisanship.
3. Concerning the "independence of educational administration."
Special city and provincial Boards of Education lack autonomy of educational administration, and are not fully independent of special city and provinoial government in that the superintenaent of Boards of Education are made by law to consult with special city majors and province governors about education budgets, accounts, and education fees.
4. Concerning "management by educational professionals."
(1) The eligibility for the superintendent of Board of Education is too strict and because the election of the superintendent adopts a papal-election method, the character and ideological orientation of candidates are not clearly known at the time of election.
(2) The criter a for the recruitment, trsining, and transfer of senior school supervisor, junior school supervisor, senior educational researcher, and junior educational researcher are not clear.
5. Concerning "independence of finance."
There are financial straits in every local Board of Education.
Public expenlitures for education in Korea occupy about 3.7 percent of the gross national product, compared with about 5.7 percent in abvanced countries. The peroentage of local educational financial independence is very low (16.6% as of 1993).
Based on the findings of the study, a proposal for the improvenent of educational autonomy administration can be made as follows:
1. (1) Policy making in educational administration should be decentralized: The ministry of Education should transfer more rights and authority to special city and provincial Boards of Education, and special city and provincial Boards of Education should thansfer in turn more rights and authority to city and county Education offices. Each level of educational administration should have its appropriate autonomy in policy making and maintain a mutual cooperation in the pursuit of educational success.
(2) Special city and provincial Boards of Education should be a independent deliverative organ, with full autonomy in deliberation, audit, and inspection.
2. Both Board members and the superintendent of special city and provincial Boards of Education should be elected by local residents in order to guarantee residents, direct participation in educational policy making.
3. Special city and provincial Boards of Education should have autonomy in educational administration including planning budgets, balancing accounts, and charsing education fees. Also, school supervision by the local Boards of Education should sccommodate the needs of community and residents.
4. The election of the superintendent must discard the so-called papal-slestion method and establish a more open, feir, and democratic election procedure in which all candidates can clarify their philosophy and educational views.
5. Local educational financial straits should be solved in earlier days, public expenditures for education in Korea must be over 5.0 percant of the gross national product. In order to increase the percentage of local educational financial independence, education taxes must be a local tax in nature and a subsidy must increase up to 15 percent of total national tax.