Questions/Answers

Under Citizen Inspection Program of Gyeonggido Office of Education, a team of 15 citizen inspectors comprised of ordinary citizens other than public servants is duly commissioned or appointed by the Superintendent in accordance with the Citizen Inspection Program Ordinance. Those Citizen Inspectors did make real visits to the sites, summon related officers, review books and documents, and inspect accounts of offices or schools, as well as those employees and teachers. Especially, they could also oversee the performance of major investment plans, corruption-vulnerable programs of schools or of any other educational institutions. Moreover, Citizen Inspectors have been involved in the institutional reforms. They played very important role in the following areas among others: 1. Special Audit on Private Kindergarten sector 2. Special Audit on School Catering Service 3. National Council of Citizen Inspectors in Education Authorities The results of their activities include the followings: 1. Delivering administrative and financial supports 2. Improving knowledge & experience-powered professionalism 3. Presenting fair and credible audit practices 4. Offering an advanced public participation model 5. Introducing a new PACT model 6. Supporting a change of social atmosphere

Main objective of the Citizen Inspection Program of Gyeonggido Office of Education is to promote transparency, accountability and integrity of education sector through ensuring citizens’ monitoring, inspection and assessment about education authority as well as its employees.

This initiative fits within Category 2: Making institutions inclusive and ensuring participation in decision-making.

It supports the Sustainable Development Goal 16: “Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.” Especially, this initiative is not only for the promotion of citizen's participation but also for the enhancement of accountability and integrity in public education sector without corruption or inefficiency.

As of December 31, 2017, the special audit on 93 private kindergartens has completed. Citizen Inspectors and other public officers under Inpector General achieved the following results: 92 dicsciplinary measures (incluing dismissal), recovery of 7.7 million USD amount of withdrawn grant funds, tax evasion of 23 million USD, 12 million USD of misused grant funds. Through another special audit on school catering service, the team looked into general matters such as food supply chain, purchasing process, delivery inspection and cooking, and then confirmed several corruption allegations. Sum total of 218,000 USD was recovered from this area. For both areas, Citizens Inspector Program gave an advice to adopt PACT initiative (See http://bit.ly/2FUUFDl). Some other systemic improvements were made in accordance with the guidance of the Inspectors.

As preparation and implementation to conduct audit assignments requires extensive knowledge and experience, Citizen Inspectors’ advanced expertise can make up for internal auditors operations, especially about highly demanding task such as law, accounting, and architecture. Each of thirteen non-standing Citizen Inspectors is on duty more than 7.6 days in a month. Their exemplary service in administration and audit duties are highly accredited by the local education offices and public institutions. Upon the recommendation made by Citizen Inspectors, the Social Pact on Anti-Corruption and Transparency in Preschool Education was entered between 180 private Kindergartens and local education offices in 2017. Prior to the signing, a series of road-mapping meetings were held so that Kindergarten principals and owners drew their own strategies, goals and directions of the preschool education policies. The framework for Public governance of Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) was completed and the Operating Committee is working on compliance monitoring and reporting. Currently, PPP is moving towards the PACT on school meal programs and After-school programs as well as education infrastructure.

In spite of various regulations and institutions, South Korean local education system were suffering from lack of fairness, objectivity, neutrality, and transparency. An active civic engagement in public domain can bring credibility, transparency, and neutrality to public institutions. However, some of public participation initiatives (such as citizens’ watch or ombudsman) in South Korea were merely window dressing, failing to reshape what it means to be participatory. Rather, ineffective programs discouraged the general public from active engagement in community affairs, and poor performances result in a loss of citizens’ confidence. From this background, a new approach to civic engagements to address these chronic problems was adopted in 2014 by the Gyeonggido Office of Education, South Korea. This program unlike its predecessors is mainly driven by citizens who are independent of government bureaucracy.

There were some civil participation programs in South Korea. However, those programs did not work well because they participated not in reality but in appearance. Most of them were not sustained several years. But, under this Citizen Inspection Program, real citizens were mobilized to perform active role in audit and inspection activities. In appearance, there were many participation programs in the past. However, this initiative can be called as the most active and sustained citizen's participation program in South Korea. Those Citizen Inspectors played the similar powers and authorities as public officer (internal) auditors have. They did visit sites, summon related officers, review books and documents, and inspect accounts of offices or schools, as well as those employees and teachers. Especially, they could also oversee the performance of major investment plans, corruption-vulnerable programs of schools or of any other educational institutions. Moreover, Citizen Inspectors were allowed to be involved in the institutional reforms. They played the role very effectively in special audits on private Kindergarten, on school catering service, among others.

The first team of seven citizen inspectors was appointed by the Superintendent on June 1, 2015. As of January 2018, the team has 15 Citizen Inspectors including eight female members. There are two are standing Citizen Inspectors: one was an anti-corruption advocate of Transparency International–Korea(South), and the other is a former officer at the Anti-Corruption & Civil Rights Commission. The rest non-standing Citizen Inspector group is composed of thirteen experts including former lawmaker, parents’ association leader, nutritionist, juvenile expert, social worker, lawyer, architect, accountant, and labor attorney. Sum total 378,700 USD from tax payers' money was used to support this initiative in previous three years. One team of four public officers under Inspector General is supporting their activities.

نعم

Citizen Inspectors of the Gyeonggido Office of Education laid down a foundation for a National Council of Citizen Inspectors in Education Authorities in November 2017. The basic idea of this new organization is to ensuring successful anchoring of citizen audit initiatives, upholding fair and transparent school administration, and building national-wide network at working level. Under the guidance of the Anti-Corruption & Civil Rights Commission of the Republic of Korea, some thirty delegates from ten different regional offices of education reached an agreement to establish a joint council that will promote exchange of information and manpower among the shareholders. Some other education authorities asked 11 lectures or presentations on this Citizen Inspetors Program for adoption in their local authorities. Seoul Metropolitan Education Office expanded the realm of Citizen Inspectors' activities in 2016. Chungnam Provincial Office of Education adopted and appointed 14 citizens for this purpose in 2016. Gyeongnam Provincial Office of Education, operating 30 Citizen Inspectors, asked Gyeonggido Office of Education a lecture for expanding their activities.

In 2014, Citizen Inspectors Program was an initiative newly installed Superintendent of Gyeonggido Office of Education. After its realization, there has been a spreading social consensus among local media and assembly members that a developing fair and objective audit practice and decreasing corruption scandals is attributable to the Citizen Inspector Program.

The Gyeonggido Office of Education Citizen Inspection Program Ordinance was initiated and enacted by the Gyeonggido Provincial Assembly in November 2016, and thereby the Education Office anticipates additional memberships and efficient operations of the Citizen Inspection Program.

لا

This initiative supports SDG 16 in general. Specifically, it directs both the expansion of citizen participation (inclusiveness) and the promotion of accountaility of public domain (combating bribery and corruption). Citizen Inspectors motivated each private kindergarten to join in Social Pact on Anti-Corruption and Transparency (PACT). In accordance with the K-PACT initiative, this PACT directs also a common practice of several related parties that reconfirms signatories’ willingness to ensure transparency and uphold the public interest. The initial Infant Education Sector PACT was signed on December 21, 2016 by the Superintendent of Gyeonggido Office of Education, the Province Chair of the Korea Private Kindergarten Association, owners of teaching tools and stationaries, and chairs of parent’s association and other civil society organizations. Individual kindergartens entered into the PACT from October 2017. Signatories are obliged to comply with their commitments to the transparency and public-interest-first spirit and, in return, are eligible to receive incentive packages including bookkeeping consultation service. Upon the recommendation made by Citizen Inspectors, the Social Pact on Anti-Corruption and Transparency in Preschool Education was entered between the private Kindergartens and the Education Office in December 2017. Prior to the signing, a series of road-mapping meetings were held so that Kindergarten principals and owners drew their own strategies, goals and directions of the preschool education policies. The framework for better inclusiveness in PACT initiative was completed and the Operating Committee is working on compliance monitoring and reporting. Currently, similar PACT initiatives are made in school catering service, after-school programs as well as education infrastructure.

As preparation and implementation to conduct audit assignments requires extensive knowledge and experience, Citizen Inspectors’ advanced expertise could make up for internal auditors operations, especially about highly demanding task such as law, accounting, and architecture. Sustainable and professional participation of citizen and strong political will of education authority could make a difference in combating corruption and fraud in education sector. Still, there are some barriors against the improvement of this program. Genenral public should play also an important role in this improvement through monitoring, asking, reviewing of Citizen Inspectors' activities.