On August 8, an association of autonomous private high school principals filed an administrative suit with the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education. This move was aimed at disobeying the government's decision of failing to re-designate the self-accident early this year. They filed an administrative lawsuit seeking the cancellation of the self-accident designation by the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education.

▲ A lot of parents are having a demonstraton to oppose abolition of autonomous private high school.

There were similar incidents in the past. In 2014, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education filed a lawsuit against six private high schools after the Education Ministry canceled the designation. Last year, the Supreme Court ruled against the request, saying that the disposal of the education office without prior consent from the Ministry of Education was illegal and that the cancellation of the designation of the education office itself had been violated or abused. However, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education believed that the characteristics of the school were different from those of the past. It is because it was implemented with a legitimated schedule and evaluation index with the Ministry of Education and the National Council of Urban Education like working out a standard plan.

▲ A representative of autonomous private high school`s student criticizes the policy.

In contrast, the head of the association said that the results of the operation evaluation by the education authorities alone did not acknowledge that the self-accident cannot achieve the stated purpose, but it violated the legitimate trust of the self-accident by using the unanticipated indicators as the basis for the evaluation. He also argued that the designation and cancellation of his own stock for failing to meet the standard score, rather than improving the way he operated, was an illegal disposition for deviating and abusing his discretion. In addition, the members of the “People's Meeting for a Fair Society” held a press conference calling for a parliamentary investigation into the education authorities, along with the transparent disclosure of the evaluation process.

▲ Principals of autonomous private high school in Seoul are requesting the discontinue of abolish policy.

It takes at least three to four years to decide whether to switch from the self-accident to the general high. If the court does not accept the school's request, the company will have to recruit new students as general high schools from next year. Meanwhile, the lawyer said the court will likely accept the school's request because there is room for legal despite over the fairness of the assessment.

August 18th, 2019

by Lee Dowon