Organization of the Educational Administration
Central Education Administrative Governance
In Korea, the national education administration is governed by both the central and provincial organizations. The central education administration is governed by the President, Prime Minister, Ministry of Education as well as its affiliated organizations. It's noteworthy that the Minister of Education also serves as Deputy Prime Minister. The Ministry of Education is the central administrative organization governing overall educational affairs at the national level, including the formulation of policies on human resources development, school education, lifelong learning and academic affairs in general.
Provincial Offices of Education
Since the enactment of the Local Education Autonomy Act in 1991, provincial education administration has been decentralized, and the majority of administrative decision-making authority and the provincial education budget under the Ministry of Education are entrusted to provincial offices of education. Education committees under local councils, which are deliberation and decision-making bodies of provincial education, along with the provincial offices of education, the provincial education administration organizations, play a central role in local education governance. Provincial superintendents of education are directly elected by their residents. Over the course of their four-year term, superintendents of education are in charge of education, arts, science as well as provincial educational administrative affairs in general. As of 2021, there are 17 provincial offices of education and 176 district offices of education around the country.
Education Budget
Education is funded by central and local authorities and school foundations. Funds also come from private sources, mostly from parents. Contributions from individual donors, entrepreneurs, and private entities occupy small parts.
The education budget of the central government is supported by funds from the nation"s taxes. The central government"s education budget provides funding for education offices which control primary and secondary school education, the operating funding of national universities, some support for private universities, and for educational administrative and research organizations. The budget for the Ministry of Education consists of the general fund, financial loan special fund, state-owned property special fund, special fund for the management of special taxes for rural areas, special fund for local education fund transfer management, and the special fund for organizational management. Education budgets of local governments comes primarily from subsidies disbursed by the central government.
The central government is responsible for teacher salaries for compulsory schooling and annual subsidies for local education, which account for 13% of total tax revenues. Private schools rely primarily on entrance fees and tuition. The government made laws to exempt private schools from paying taxes on real estate and provide grants-in-aid. Loans are also available for facility renovation and expansion. The extent of governmental support burgeons in the fields of research, student activities, scholarships, andannuities.
Budget breakdown by category
| Fiscal year | Category | Item | Budget amount_consolidated expenditure (in million won) |
Budget amount_consolidated budget (in million won) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Education | General accounting | 65,676,642 | 70,326,048 |
| 2021 | Education | Special accounting for early childhood education |
3,916,771 | 3,916,771 |
| 2021 | Education | Special accounting for balanced national progress |
1,122,600 | 1,122,600 |
| 2021 | Education | Fund for private institutions | 254,661 | 470,310 |
| 2021 | Social welfare | Pension fund for private school teachers |
5,390,794 | 13,013,477 |
| 2021 | Social welfare | General accounting | 103,013 | 103,013 |
