By Chung Ah-young
Staff Reporter



Minister of Education and Human Resources Development Kim Jin-pyo gives a speech about a private school reform law at Kyung Hee University in eastern Seoul, Friday. About 500 principals of private schools attended the seminar and asked the government to scrap the law, claiming that it will violate school autonomy and property rights. /Yonhap

One fifth of private primary and secondary school principals are related to the schools’ owners, according to the Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development.
Under the revised school law, however, 107 of the 178 principals are required to step down from their posts in July, a move expected to be opposed by the principals.

The law, which will go into effect in July, forbids the children and spouses of board chairmen from being principals to prevent abuse of their school management authority.

Also, under the revision, private schools are required to appoint a quarter of their board of directors from among candidates recommended by teachers and parents to improve transparency in management.

School owners argue the law is an unwarranted intrusion into the property rights of private foundations, rights guaranteed by the Constitution.

Education Minister Kim Jin-pyo, however, said that the law will pave the way for improving transparency and restoring public confidence in school management.

``Private schools shouldn’t forget their founding spirit and protect students right to an education. I hope private schools properly understand the purpose of the law,’’ Kim said yesterday in a speech to about 500 middle and high school principals who gathered at Seoul’s Kyung Hee University for a winter training program.

According to the ministry, 821 private school foundations nationwide operate 1,391 primary and secondary schools.

Among the 821 foundations, 21.68 percent or 178 school principals are spouses of board chairmen, children, siblings or other relatives.

Among the religious private foundations, Christian-affiliated schools have the largest portion of kinship-based directors and board members.

There are 104 Christian-affiliated school foundations or 214 schools. Among them, principals who are spouses and offspring of the board chairmen operate 24.03 percent or 25 foundations.

Meanwhile, Catholic-affiliated school foundations have two board members and one principal who are relatives of owners among 17 schools.

Private school owners have stepped up efforts to scrap the law, claiming that it will violate their autonomy and deny property rights.

In a move to invalidate the law, 150 private university presidents decided Thursday to call on the government to amend the new law in a general assembly of the Korean Council for University Education.

Private school owners have opposed the law by threatening to shut down schools and refusing to admit new students.

They vowed to continue to threaten strong actions to annul the law by employing every possible means, including collecting signatures.

chungay@koreatimes.co.kr