The Busan Metropolitan Office of Education has overhauled its system to resolve a long-standing controversy over opaque evaluations in the hiring process for after-school instructors. The move aims to boost transparency by directly disclosing evaluation scores and reduce the administrative burden caused by freedom-of-information requests.
The office announced Monday that it has revamped its "After-School Program Review Support System" to allow instructors to check their proposal evaluation scores directly starting this month. Previously, total scores from the first-round proposal review were not separately provided, forcing applicants to gauge their performance solely by whether they passed or failed.
Checking scores had been particularly cumbersome. Instructors were required to file separate information disclosure requests through procedures agreed upon in collective bargaining with their union. The process consumed additional time and administrative resources, adding to the burden on instructors.
To address these issues, the education office redesigned the system so that instructors can view their individual scores simply by logging in, without filing a separate request. Prior to the change, a legal review confirmed that the new process raises no concerns regarding personal data protection or evaluation fairness.
The measure is expected to go beyond simply providing information and serve as a catalyst for enhancing transparency and integrity in the review process. Ancillary benefits such as fewer information disclosure requests and improved administrative efficiency are also anticipated.
"This is part of our proactive administration that reflects voices from the field," an official at the education office said. "We will continue to improve the system to reduce unnecessary administrative procedures and strengthen trust in after-school program operations."