Education ministry sets transfer rules for merged Gwangju-Jeonnam school districts

The education ministry said Wednesday it has issued a new ordinance governing personnel management for officials under the Gwangju-Jeonnam Integrated Special City superintendent of education, following the abolition of the separate Gwangju Metropolitan City and South Jeolla Province.

Under the rule, officials appointed or selected before the integrated special city was established will in principle work within the boundaries of the former Gwangju or South Jeolla jurisdictions. Transfers across those boundaries will be permitted when they are necessary for education administration, provided the official agrees, or in cases in which a specific area urgently needs officials holding particular expertise or qualifications.

The rule also sets out how selection points are recalculated for education officials who make the move: the score calculated before the transfer is adjusted according to the categories and scoring standards of the jurisdiction the official has moved to.

The measure responds to the Special Act on the Establishment of the Gwangju-Jeonnam Integrated Special City, which created the merged city and provided special personnel management provisions for education officials appointed before the merger. The ordinance took effect on the day it was issued, Sept. 30, according to the Ministry of Education.