The education sector in Jeonbuk is in desperate need of recovery. The upcoming 2026 Superintendent of Education election should be a crucial opportunity to overcome the accumulated distrust and conflicts of the past 15 years, going beyond a simple selection of individuals. Education is a community created by students, teachers, and parents together, making the significance of this election greater than ever before.

In the 2008 Jeonbuk Superintendent of Education election, candidate Oh Geun-ryang presented student rights as a promise for the first time. He proposed a new approach based on 'student autonomy and solidarity' to address prevalent issues such as student violence, teacher corporal punishment, and emotional abuse, going beyond passive character education. That is, he suggested establishing student rights committees in each school to allow students to learn about their rights and responsibilities and solve school problems themselves. His vision embodied the philosophy of understanding human rights not as a privilege but as a 'school culture created together,' stating that education should transition from someone leading to an environment where mutual respect is the only option. He gained significant support in Jeonju and Wanju, but unfortunately lost due to a rural voting campaign that relied on organizational mobilization. The elected Superintendent of Education at that time, Choi Gyu-ho, is currently imprisoned for corruption allegations after retirement.

In the 2010 election, when candidate Kim Seung-hwan won, Jeonbuk education embarked on a new path. Superintendent Kim Seung-hwan emphasized guaranteeing students' individual rights, enacting student rights ordinances, and introducing the system of human rights advocacy officers and student human rights education centers. While this attempt to ensure individual rights was a positive start, it also led to negative consequences, with instances of misuse of exclusive individual rights. Moreover, cases arose where students reporting human rights violations were exposed to teachers by human rights investigators, and teachers who were cleared of charges by the police resorted to extreme measures after the investigation process by human rights education centers. The system meant to protect human rights and foster consideration and trust ended up creating distance between students and teachers, turning classrooms into spaces of conflict.

The problems did not end there. Teacher organizations are preoccupied with their original competition for attracting union members and expanding specific political influences. Another organization distorted and incited by filming cases of excessive student behavior and indiscriminately exposing them in the media, while distorting and inciting hatred against parents who appeal for child abuse by teachers. As a result, conflicts between teachers and parents deepened, and education deteriorated from a 'collaborative space' to a 'conflict zone.'

In the Jeonbuk education sector, there are factions deeply rooted in distributing books by politicians who have been punished for inciting rebellion and following them. It is a serious problem that extreme right-wing groups like the 'Libak School Incident' infiltrate the education sector, but there are also teachers who, following the political forces that adhere to North Korea's Juche ideology, falsely impose the 'defector hatred frame' on parents. Preventing forces that undermine democracy from influencing youth in the name of education is a crucial duty of the Superintendent of Education. At the same time, the new Superintendent must prevent these distorted political forces from entering schools, while establishing proper civic education for students to grow into democratic citizens.

Former Superintendent Seo Geoseok, who lost his position as Superintendent of Education due to election law violations, acted on behalf of teacher organizations to designate parents who appealed for child abuse as malicious complainant parents and repeatedly changed the charges, all resulting in no charges. Instead, teacher organizations continue to file multiple relay complaints against parents.

What is needed now is not the victory of one side, but the restoration of trust in Jeonbuk education. Student rights should be realized within rights, responsibilities, and solidarity, and educational authority should be respected as an educational right, not a privilege. It is urgent to restore trust through school operations and system establishment where parents do not distrust schools, and teachers do not antagonize parents.

The Superintendent of Education that Jeonbuk must choose in the 2026 election should be someone who can return the educational community to the path of reconciliation and respect, rather than the size of the organization or the voice that can be mobilized. Only someone with a philosophy and concrete implementation plans to create a school where students, teachers, and parents learn and grow together can restore trust in Jeonbuk education.

Rather than an education that divides and attacks each other, returning to a learning community where we live together, that is the only direction the 2026 Superintendent of Education election should aim for, and it should be the most important criterion for selecting a new Superintendent of Education.