Incheon education committee scolds agency affiliates, district offices for two days running over shoddy budget answers

The Incheon Metropolitan Office of Education, its affiliated agencies and five district education offices faced sharp criticism from the Incheon Metropolitan Council's Education Committee for two consecutive days over inadequate budget planning, poor grasp of their own work and unsatisfactory answers to lawmakers' questions.

The Education Committee, chaired by Jung Jong-hyeok, convened the 312th extraordinary session on Wednesday and Thursday, scrutinizing the 2026 budget project progress of the education office's directly affiliated agencies as well as the Southern, Northern, Eastern, Western and Ganghwa district education offices, pressing officials on the appropriateness of spending and the effectiveness of their programs.

At the third committee session held Thursday, members received reports on the budget project progress of all five district education offices.

The district education superintendents repeatedly gave vague answers — saying they would "check and report back later" — or failed to explain specifics clearly, drawing a barrage of criticism from lawmakers.

Lawmaker Kang Jeong-seon of the Democratic Party of Korea (Michuhol-gu 4) questioned why spending on stenography services for the school violence deliberation committee under the Southern District Education Office had been recorded only in January with no subsequent expenditures.

She also pressed officials on the appropriateness of the 148 million won ($99,400) vehicle lease fee for hub-type after-school care centers and what she called excessive fuel costs relative to actual distances traveled.

Lawmaker Jeong Chae-hun (Democratic Party of Korea, Yeonsu-gu 6) questioned the Eastern District Education Office about its translation device support project for multicultural education, asking about translation methods, supported languages, and how well the devices were actually being used and received at schools.

Lawmaker Shin Jin-young (Democratic Party of Korea, Bupyeong-gu 4) questioned the Northern District Education Office about its school facility opening project, asking why opening rates differed between playgrounds and gymnasiums and how the office planned to expand holiday access.

The superintendents were unable to give clear answers to a significant number of questions and were criticized for insufficient command of their own operations.

Committee Chair Jung said the overall quality of answers was disappointing, noting that the superintendents who took office in March had had ample time to visit schools and familiarize themselves with their work. He added that knowledge of the pilot program allowing some schools to open without staff on holidays would have been enough to answer that question without difficulty.

"Following Thursday's briefing from the directly affiliated agencies, there were again disappointing moments today," Jung said, urging officials to prepare far more thoroughly for the upcoming main briefing by the Incheon Metropolitan Office of Education.

The committee had already delivered strong criticism at the second session on Wednesday, taking the education office's directly affiliated agencies to task over their budget planning and program direction.

Particularly contentious was a line item labeled "council fees" in the special program budget for the Incheon Student Science Museum under the AI Convergence Education Institute. When Lawmaker Shin asked what the money was spent on, the institute's director said it covered costs for "snacks, beverages and the like," adding that some budget items had been described in vague terms — a response that drew immediate pushback.

Committee Chair Jung shot back, asking where in a budget document the word "vague" had any place. "That kind of language is itself a problem," he said. "Any budget described in such terms could be subject to cuts going forward."

Lawmaker Jang Su-jin (Democratic Party of Korea, Jemulpo-gu 2) raised concerns about the Early Childhood Education Promotion Institute's project to develop an AI education program built around a reading, walking and writing curriculum, questioning whether the initiative was over-branding the concept and whether AI education was appropriate for young children, and flagging worries about excessive exposure to digital devices.

Committee members also examined a range of other issues — including improving the quality of a concert program for college entrance exam candidates, diversifying programs at AI convergence education centers and building regional centers, and upgrading aging facilities at the Incheon Student Science Museum — as they scrutinized the rationale for spending and the effectiveness of each project.

After two days of reviews, the committee concluded that the affiliated agencies and district education offices had fallen short of expectations in their understanding of their own programs and their ability to explain their budgets, and doubled down on its call for more thorough preparation and accountable answers at the Incheon Metropolitan Office of Education's upcoming main briefing.