Education is a process to build humans in desirable manner, and through special relationship between the educators and the students, it inherits historically valuable mental and cultural heritage to the junior generation. And it encourages the educate...
Education is a process to build humans in desirable manner, and through special relationship between the educators and the students, it inherits historically valuable mental and cultural heritage to the junior generation. And it encourages the educated to achieve self-realization even in this rapidly-changing society and contribute to creation of culture. So, education system can help education to be more effective.
Educational autonomy is a kind of work to promote participation of community members. To achieve educational goals, it assures independence of education and democratic educational administration, which leads to reinorcement of professionalism and specialty of educationa administration.
In Korea, since the Educational Autonomy was first phblished in 1952, it has have ups and downs such as stoppage, abolition, and revival. After May 16 event, about for three decades, the local council was closed, and the educational board members were appointed by the minister of Culture and Education, mayors and governors necessarily became the head of the board, and concultation of educational budget of local assembly was executed by the minister of Culture and Education. Educational autonomy was nominally maintained. Not until 1990 that 'the Law of Local Educational Autonomy' was enacted and published, which led to a positive implementation of educational autonomy. However, from the beginning, controversy was raised in operation of educational autonomy such as confusion in definitions of characters and roles of educational autonomous committee, election of educational board members and superintendents of educational affairs. Ten years have passed since then, but no agreement has been achieved to the present.
Until recently, various attempts to regulate character of the educational board have continued. In the 100 tasks designated by the Undertaking Committee in Feb. 1988, the regulation indicating that educational board is an executive organization with council system was included. The report presented by 'ad hoc committee for improvement of local education autonomy system' within the Ministry of Education regulated the educational board as a council system organization. Led by the planning budget agency and some research institutes, a program to incorporate educational autonomy into common autonomy was advanced from May to August, 2000. In particular, a program to incorporate consultation and decision organization was advanced, but it was stopped due to aggravation of public opinion. Again, 'the Improvement Committee of Local Educational Autonomy System' was established in Jan. to Sept. 2000, and the report developed by this committee presented a standing committee program in terms of reinforcing the links between educational autonomy and general autonomy.
However, until when will the argument whether independency or incorporation in relation to educational autonomy and general autonomy be continued? Consumptive controversy that never helps educational development has to be evaded as soon as possible. And a program that encourages independence and promotes cooperation and association should be developed. Based on the discussions and experiences accumulated for the past decade, a practicable program should be prepared. Although educational autonomy which reflects opinions of the public, induces people to participate in creation of program and helps their living to be improved should have been established, real circumstance is not prepared for the goal. To prepare educational autonomy of the people, by the people and for the people, instritutional complement is required.
Ten years have passed since the law of educational autonomy was enacted. According to the law, educational autonomy system through which educational committee members and superintendents indirectly elected by the people control educational affairs was implemented, but the way to elect the board members and superintendents was revised several times, controversies about sharing between general local autonomous bodies and educational organizations, power sharing between federal and local governing bodies, and reorganization of educational autonomy have continued.
However, in spite of such arguments, actual autonomy is not still realized, and paticipation in autonomy of the people is limited. As the election of the board members and superintendents is peformed by the members of school management councils, it is true that most of the people are not informed of the election. School management councils established by May 13 educational refomation have made some contribution to the autonomy, but limited participation is allowed except for a few members of parents council.
In this aspect, efforts to induce the community people to participate in decision-making process more positively and to make educational administrative system that responds more sensitively to their needs like basic-unit educational autonomy may be necessaily considered.
However, it can not be said that no participation of the community people was found under the present autonomy system. Even though there is educational autonomy in large cities, suerintendents who represent education and academic culture of schools in large cities, and board members belonging to educational committee that consult and decide important matters about education and arts and science are elected by members of school management council. The council members are elected among the community people who are willing to realize school autonomy. Therefore, when basci-unit educational autonomy system is realized, it can be said that actual participation of the community is realized. However, to some extent, the participation of the community is possible.
Thus, this study examined concepts and basic principles of educational autonomy as a statring point of autonomy discussion, and its current problems. And through review of basic direction and improvement of future autonomy system, it intended to present an effective educational administrative mechanism which can contribute to development of education and the nation and by which high-quality educationa can be achieved.