Gyeonggi Province Superintendent of Education An Min-seok has pushed back against concerns that the province, which has declared a fiscal crisis, will stop funding school uniform subsidies for middle and high school students next year, saying "no such unfortunate thing will happen."
An made the remarks Monday at a press briefing, noting that concerns had emerged amid the province's budget turmoil. "The province is mired in considerable controversy over its budget situation, with Governor Choo Mi-ae at the center of the storm, and there are reports that uniform and school meal budgets could be suspended," An said.
The Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education currently provides incoming middle and high school students with 400,000 won ($299) per student in school uniform support, distributed in kind.
The education office covers 50 percent of the program cost, while the province and individual cities and counties each shoulder 25 percent. Gyeonggi Province's share amounts to about 100,000 won per student, and some have raised concerns that the province may not include that amount in its budget.
"Just because Gyeonggi Province's budget is tight does not mean we will halt spending on student uniforms and school meals," An said. "I understand that is simply a reflection of how strained the provincial budget has become."
An added that if the province were to tell parents it could not cover its 100,000-won share and ask them to pay instead, "there would be a parent revolt — mothers would come out with spatulas to protest."
An said the governor and the superintendent should maintain a strong partnership, and added that he plans to meet directly with Governor Choo to discuss the matter. "A policy decision appears to be needed," he said.
An also addressed a school uniform corruption scandal that has recently come to light, saying he had "ordered a thorough investigation." Earlier, allegations emerged in Goyang that uniform suppliers had colluded during school bidding processes, taking turns winning contracts.
"The uniform corruption surfaced in Goyang and Suwon, but it is not a problem confined to those two areas," An said. "Uniform bid-rigging is the longest-running cartel in education." He said investigations are underway at all 25 district education offices with the aim of rooting out the problem entirely, and that the inspector general's office is also devoting full resources to the effort.
Monday's briefing was organized for An to share the results and impressions from a series of parent town hall meetings held across 31 cities and counties over more than 40 days beginning in September. An compiled issues heard directly from about 6,000 parents and presented solutions for 10 priority areas, including digital detox, oversized and undersized school classes, special education, excessive administrative workload, student commuting, uniform corruption and parent organization support.
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