The Board of Audit and Inspection has uncovered 12 instances of mismanagement at the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, including lax oversight of student records and inefficient staffing practices. The audit raises concerns about budget waste, particularly as the office has reportedly inflated expected vacancies to maintain hundreds of excess staff despite the government's push for staff reductions.
In response, the Seoul Education Office stated, "The apparent surplus of teachers is merely an illusion caused by rapid staff cuts. We have been significantly reducing excess staff by adjusting new hires."
According to the audit results released on July 20, the Seoul Education Office faced disciplinary actions for various issues related to academic management and staffing. The most notable concern was the misalignment in staffing practices. The audit indicated that when the office planned new elementary teacher hires in 2021, it unjustifiably increased the expected vacancies by 358, fearing that the Education Ministry's reduction plan (which aims to cut 2,475 positions from 2021 to 2025) would lead to excessive cuts in new hires.
As a result, the office hired 303 new teachers in 2021, leading to an excess of 710 staff members. This trend continued, with the office hiring over 100 teachers each year until 2025, maintaining the excess staffing situation. In the case of secondary teachers, the office also hired 1,616 more temporary teachers than necessary within the 2024 staffing limits, wasting budget resources.
A representative from the Seoul Education Office explained in a conversation with Aju Economy that from 2021 to 2025, the staffing levels were drastically reduced by nearly 2,500 positions. "While the number of positions has decreased significantly, the natural attrition rate due to retirements is limited, which has made the surplus staff more pronounced," the representative said.
The representative added, "If we suddenly reduce new teacher hires to zero, it would not only create supply issues for graduating teachers but also severely impact future school curriculum operations. In fact, we have reduced the excess staff from 710 in 2021 to 256 by 2025, a 65% decrease, while gradually addressing the issue." Although the numbers may appear excessive, the office has been working to minimize surplus staff amid rapid staffing cuts.
Additionally, the need for new hires to fill vacancies created by teachers being reassigned for new policy demands, such as the 'Extended School Day' program, was also emphasized. The representative noted, "In two years, when these individuals return to teaching, there could be a resurgence of excess staff, so we have proactively predicted and adjusted our staffing in consultation with the Education Ministry, rather than arbitrarily inflating numbers."
The audit also revealed issues with the management of student records, with 15,377 teachers across 239 high schools in Seoul having copied and pasted identical comments for over 51 students' detailed abilities and special notes from 2021 to 2024. In some cases, 18 teachers recorded the same behavioral characteristics and overall opinions for more than 70% of their entire classes.
Furthermore, the audit highlighted inadequate responses to school violence. Due to the lack of specific management plans for initial counseling records, 143 out of 155 sampled cases (92.2%) were not submitted to the School Violence Countermeasures Committee, resulting in instances where victims' claims could not be substantiated due to a lack of objective evidence.
However, a representative from the Seoul Education Office stated, "General homeroom teachers are extremely reluctant to document school violence counseling records for fear of complaints or lawsuits. It is difficult to hold teachers accountable without mandatory regulations in place." Nonetheless, the representative mentioned that they are considering follow-up measures to ensure teachers can properly document counseling records in light of the audit's findings.
Additionally, the audit uncovered cases of negligence, including public officials who left their workstations without permission during business trips or weekend overtime to visit horse racing tracks while improperly receiving allowances.
In response, the Seoul Education Office stated, "The apparent surplus of teachers is merely an illusion caused by rapid staff cuts. We have been significantly reducing excess staff by adjusting new hires."
According to the audit results released on July 20, the Seoul Education Office faced disciplinary actions for various issues related to academic management and staffing. The most notable concern was the misalignment in staffing practices. The audit indicated that when the office planned new elementary teacher hires in 2021, it unjustifiably increased the expected vacancies by 358, fearing that the Education Ministry's reduction plan (which aims to cut 2,475 positions from 2021 to 2025) would lead to excessive cuts in new hires.
As a result, the office hired 303 new teachers in 2021, leading to an excess of 710 staff members. This trend continued, with the office hiring over 100 teachers each year until 2025, maintaining the excess staffing situation. In the case of secondary teachers, the office also hired 1,616 more temporary teachers than necessary within the 2024 staffing limits, wasting budget resources.
A representative from the Seoul Education Office explained in a conversation with Aju Economy that from 2021 to 2025, the staffing levels were drastically reduced by nearly 2,500 positions. "While the number of positions has decreased significantly, the natural attrition rate due to retirements is limited, which has made the surplus staff more pronounced," the representative said.
The representative added, "If we suddenly reduce new teacher hires to zero, it would not only create supply issues for graduating teachers but also severely impact future school curriculum operations. In fact, we have reduced the excess staff from 710 in 2021 to 256 by 2025, a 65% decrease, while gradually addressing the issue." Although the numbers may appear excessive, the office has been working to minimize surplus staff amid rapid staffing cuts.
Additionally, the need for new hires to fill vacancies created by teachers being reassigned for new policy demands, such as the 'Extended School Day' program, was also emphasized. The representative noted, "In two years, when these individuals return to teaching, there could be a resurgence of excess staff, so we have proactively predicted and adjusted our staffing in consultation with the Education Ministry, rather than arbitrarily inflating numbers."
The audit also revealed issues with the management of student records, with 15,377 teachers across 239 high schools in Seoul having copied and pasted identical comments for over 51 students' detailed abilities and special notes from 2021 to 2024. In some cases, 18 teachers recorded the same behavioral characteristics and overall opinions for more than 70% of their entire classes.
Furthermore, the audit highlighted inadequate responses to school violence. Due to the lack of specific management plans for initial counseling records, 143 out of 155 sampled cases (92.2%) were not submitted to the School Violence Countermeasures Committee, resulting in instances where victims' claims could not be substantiated due to a lack of objective evidence.
However, a representative from the Seoul Education Office stated, "General homeroom teachers are extremely reluctant to document school violence counseling records for fear of complaints or lawsuits. It is difficult to hold teachers accountable without mandatory regulations in place." Nonetheless, the representative mentioned that they are considering follow-up measures to ensure teachers can properly document counseling records in light of the audit's findings.
Additionally, the audit uncovered cases of negligence, including public officials who left their workstations without permission during business trips or weekend overtime to visit horse racing tracks while improperly receiving allowances.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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