Private School Law: A source of discomfort?

Private schools assume a heavier responsibility than their public counterparts for the nation’s tertiary education. The sheer number of private schools means their voice is heard on the floor of the National Assembly. An illustration of such power is the once controversial Private School Law. The law intends to respect, albeit not without mandatory outside supervision, the educational guidance and spirit the founder wishes to maintain. The law remains effective provided that the founder exhausts his resources to achieve educational goals within the boundary of law.

However, the founder or chairman of the foundation running private schools has frequently delivered disappointment, leaving only embezzlement and dereliction of duty charges in the headline.

It remains true that individuals enjoy autonomy in their school management. However, if they fail to observe their educational goals and instead seek unlawful gain, they forfeit their previously guaranteed rights to full autonomy. This is why the once hotly debated Private School Law, because of infringement on individuals’ rights, now may not look as disapproving as some anticipated.

Choi Si-young, Honorary Editor-in-Chief on Yonsei European Studies at Yonsei University