Embezzlement of public funds, irregularities in entrance exams, and fraudulent hiring of teachers in South Korean private schools undermine the fairness and transparency of education. To solve this problem, the Education Act needs to be revised, and fair procedures and thorough monitoring and regulation are needed.
In addition to the recent ‘S’ Girls’ High School scandal, there have been an increasing number of cases of grade manipulation and teacher recruitment irregularities at various private schools. The increasing number of irregularities in schools, which are supposed to be fair, makes students and parents distrust schools. This undermines trust in education as a whole in our society and can have a negative impact on student motivation. Education itself should be based on fairness and transparency, and these incidents are undermining the very essence of education.
There are three main types of corruption in private schools. They are embezzlement of public funds, entrance examination irregularities, and teacher appointment irregularities. Among these, embezzlement of public funds is most often committed by executives or school principals. Examples include unfair contracts for catering or events, or stealing school funds for personal use. However, the current private school law has too many loopholes that allow them to get away with it. With a lack of oversight of private schools, these abuses not only seriously undermine the health of the school’s operations, but also drain resources that should be going to students.
In fact, according to an article ten days ago, a high school in Yongzhou reported that Mr. Wu Mo, a trustee and principal who was removed six years ago for embezzlement, returned to the administrative staff a year and a half after his removal and became a junior high school teacher in March this year, and then a vice principal six months later. This took advantage of a loophole in the private school law, which restricts revoked directors from holding office for five years, but does not prevent them from being appointed as faculty members. Cases like this are not limited to the lords of the manor, but are occurring frequently across the country, making the need for revision of the Education Act urgent.
In fact, monetary cases such as embezzlement of public funds do not receive the attention of the general public other than the students of the schools involved. We may not think it’s a big deal because we don’t feel the immediate impact, but the accumulation of these cases can lead to a lack of funds for school operations, and students may not have access to quality meals or safe school facilities. Furthermore, these irregularities make people doubt the transparency of the school’s operations, which is a major cause of loss of trust in the school. Therefore, the Private Education Law prohibits anyone involved in a case of public corruption from being appointed to a school within the same foundation, as well as to schools in other foundations. In addition, it is necessary to improve budget management systems and strengthen monitoring organizations for transparent budget execution to prevent such irregularities from occurring.
Next, entrance examination irregularities are the most high-profile case right now. Entrance exams are always a hot topic in South Korea, where education is a hot topic. In the latest case, a father who is a teacher leaked test answers to his daughters who are enrolled in the same school. When this came to light, it was criticized by the students and parents of the school, as well as by most people. If this happened even a month ago, how much more unusual would it have been before then, and it cast a negative light on private schools.
Admissions is a sensitive matter and everyone should be evaluated fairly and on an equal footing. For students who are worried about the impact of their activities on their transcripts, or even the sentences in their personal statements, there shouldn’t be any incidents involving their grades, which are the most important part of their education. However, as these stories continue to emerge, people are becoming more and more opposed to private schools and to the SAT, which is the main form of college admissions. By creating an environment that favors certain students and gives unfair opportunities to others, this can become a serious problem that distorts the nature of education.
If not corrected, it will spread suspicion and distrust of the university admissions process, which will lead to distrust of school education. Therefore, it is necessary to prevent relatives from attending the same school, and there should be strict monitoring and regulation of private schools to ensure that answer sheets and test questions are not obtained through power or money. In addition, the cooperation and collaboration of parents, teachers, and education authorities is essential to eradicating corruption, and the institutional mechanisms to ensure fairness in the admissions process should be strengthened at the national level.
Finally, there is the issue of teacher appointment. People who go to college dream of becoming teachers, so the question of when they will become teachers is a major concern and worry. A case that has outraged many aspiring teachers is the corruption in the hiring of teachers at private schools. In fact, Daegu has the highest number of cases of teacher recruitment irregularities in the country. This is when the children of school officials such as the chairman, principal, teachers, and administrators are hired as teachers. This practice discourages many prospective teachers from entering the teaching profession and has the potential to lower the quality of school education.
Teachers hired in this way can be harmful to the candidate and the students at the school. It’s not uncommon for private schools to announce “no suitable candidate” when a candidate who meets the requirements of a job posting is ultimately successful, but the school’s choice is not. Teachers hired through this process are likely to have lower levels of subject matter knowledge and student instruction than those hired through a fair process. Their integrity is questioned, and students receive a lower quality education. These issues will eventually have a negative impact on the credibility and quality of education in the school as a whole, and the learning environment for students will be adversely affected.
As a result of these concerns, the municipal education bureau is promoting the use of outsourced recruitment for private schools to ensure transparency in the teacher selection process. This is an important step to prevent irregularities and corruption that can occur when private schools recruit their own teachers, and to improve the quality of education through fair teacher appointments. In order to be successful, these measures must be accompanied by continuous monitoring and strong penalties for misbehavior.
Public schools are less prone to corruption than private schools. This is due to the way private schools operate. Private schools are established and managed by a private entity or person other than a school corporation or public organization. As a result, they have a board of trustees and can be closed depending on the financial status of the foundation. Since school corporations or private school managers appoint principals and teachers, they often appoint their relatives. The Private Education Law was enacted to prevent this, but as we’ve seen in this case, loopholes in the law are often exploited and corruption is tacitly recognized within schools.
Schools are supposed to be fair above all else. However, private schools are often controlled by foundations, which are involved in everything that happens at the school, from the budget to the hiring of teachers, contracting with vendors, and more. This can reduce transparency and create a hotbed for corruption. Therefore, it’s important to consider the unique nature of private schools to ensure fairness. To enhance transparency and fairness in private school management, it is also necessary to consider ways to make schools more accountable by publicizing key issues and engaging with the community.
Since private schools also receive state support, their budget planning should be subject to state authorization and audit. Currently, private teachers are recruited through provincial education departments and take their own exams, which are separate from the public teacher exams, but it is also necessary to improve the process to eliminate possible unfairness. By following the same process as public schools, we can ensure fairness and transparency in teacher appointments.
Finally, to eliminate corruption, we need schools that capitalize on the best features of both private and public schools. Schools should be a space for students, and the essence of education should be preserved. Transparent operations and fair procedures are essential for schools to be trustworthy, not corrupt. In order to provide a trustworthy educational environment for students, a thorough investigation of private school scandals and systemic improvements are urgently needed.
