High school students in Jinju, South Gyeongsang Province, have urged candidates running for the provincial education superintendent and Jinju mayor positions to prepare measures to strengthen the capacity of local general high schools amid the rollout of the high school credit system, ahead of the June local elections.
The Jinju High School Student Council Presidents' Association held a press conference at Jinju City Hall on the 14th, arguing that "although the revised curriculum and the high school credit system have been fully implemented, on-the-ground preparations remain insufficient." The association added that "due to imbalances in educational information and opportunities between the Seoul metropolitan area and non-metropolitan regions, local students are being forced into an unfair competition."
The association cited several issues, including pressure to choose career paths even before high school admission, the educational gap between metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas, perfunctory information sessions on the credit system, the heavier college admissions burden following the introduction of the five-tier internal grading system, and the privatization of education driven by economic disparities. "The next education superintendent and Jinju mayor candidates must prepare practical policies that reflect the difficulties on the ground," the association stressed.
In response, Song Young-ki, one of the candidates for South Gyeongsang Province education superintendent, issued a statement on the 15th saying, "I welcome the 'demand for strengthening the capacity of general high schools in line with the transition to the credit system' announced by the Jinju High School Student Council Presidents' Association." He pledged to "make the association's demands the top priority of education administration."
