권력의 정점과 교육의 현장: 중국의 정치적 집중과 한국 교육계의 위기 > K-wave Trends

The fact that Standing Committee member Tsai Chi, a key figure in Chinese politics, has concurrently held the position of principal of the Central Party School has implications beyond a simple change of position. The fact that he, who is classified as President Xi Jinping's closest associate, took control of the Central Party School, which oversees the party's ideological education and training of high-ranking executives, suggests that the party's ideological control and core talent management system have become more solidified under President Xi's one-man rule system. The appointment of a significant person to this position, previously held by a member of the Politburo Standing Committee, can be interpreted as an intention to consistently instill the party's governing philosophy in a rapidly changing internal and external environment. In Beijing's diplomatic circles, the prevailing analysis is that by simultaneously overseeing two key axes, the Central Office and the Central Party School, Tsai Qi's influence within the party has in fact been elevated to the level of second-in-command.

On the other hand, Korea's education field is experiencing serious structural deviation due to lack of leadership and excessive administrative burden. According to recently released data, the number of cases of early retirement choosing not only for management positions such as principals and vice principals, but also for teachers with less seniority who will be responsible for the future in Gyeonggi Province and all over the country is rapidly increasing. This goes beyond a simple matter of individual career choice, and proves that schools are no longer places where educational values ​​are realized, but have degenerated into a swamp of civil complaints and administrative work. The low treatment of new teachers and the excessive workload are making the teaching profession less attractive, and the increasing number of administrators seeking a way out through honorable retirement rather than reaching retirement age is shaking the foundation of school organization operations.

Conflicts in the educational field are directly related to the lack of democracy in leadership. The case of the principal's arbitrary management that occurred at an elementary school in Daejeon shows a typical example of the conflict that arises when the functions of the school management committee and the library management committee, which are statutory organizations, are neutralized and teachers' legitimate educational opinions are ignored. Recruiting external instructors without going through democratic procedures or unauthorizedly editing and distributing teacher messenger content greatly undermines the morality of an educational institution. In particular, in areas where there are no regulations to prevent bullying in the workplace, the problem of administrators' authority blocking educational communication has reached a serious level, with affected teachers complaining of mental pain due to being left in institutional blind spots.

Amid this chaos, the Gangwon Provincial Office of Education is seeking change through new leadership. Gangwon Superintendent-elect Kang Sam-young is forming a transition committee and placing principals and educational administration experts with extensive field experience at the forefront to pursue stable policy implementation. The 'verb transition committee' they have put forward contains the will to go beyond writing routine reports and to directly listen to voices from the field and materialize policies. In order for the president-elect's pledge to emphasize strong academic background and career education to succeed, a new form of leadership that can break away from the top-down command structure of the past and lead to close communication with school members is urgently needed.

On the other hand, in some cases, there are exemplary examples of horizontal communication between students and schools. The meeting between the principal, vice principal, and student council shown by Hana High School in Seoul provides a forum for communication that reflects students' opinions in school management and builds mutual trust. Even if it is a school that is represented by elite education and rolling admissions, this suggests that the essence of a school ultimately depends on how flexibly administrators, students, and teachers communicate. These efforts to break away from coercive top-down management and ensure students' autonomous activities and reflect this in the curriculum can be an important alternative model that can heal the conflicts in the school field mentioned above.