SUWON — Gyeonggi Province Superintendent of Education Ahn Min-seok said on the 26th that he will build a system to support schools in running field trips. Speaking at "Superintendent's Office on the Road" town hall meetings held in Pyeongtaek and Anseong, Ahn said institutional improvements are needed so teachers can run field trips without fear of being held liable for accidents.
Field trip management emerged as a shared concern at both the Pyeongtaek and Anseong meetings. Parents and school officials said field trips are an important educational activity that broadens students' experience, but that schools are scaling them back because of liability for safety accidents and the burden of administrative procedures.
About 200 people attended the morning session in Pyeongtaek, including local parents and principals, Pyeongtaek Mayor Choi Won-yong, National Assembly members Hong Ki-won and Yoo Eui-dong, Pyeongtaek City Council Chairman Choi Jae-young, and provincial and city council members. Participants raised overcrowded classrooms, long commutes to school, the balance between protecting teachers' authority and communicating with parents, and improvements to field trip management as key issues.
On field trips in particular, participants pointed to the structure that requires schools to find venues and sign contracts themselves. Some also said that because responsibility falls on teachers when an accident occurs during an outing, schools find it difficult to pursue field trips actively.
The afternoon session in Anseong also drew about 200 people, including local parents and principals, Anseong Mayor Kim Bo-ra, National Assembly member Yoon Jong-gun, Anseong City Council Chairwoman Ban In-sook, and Gyeonggi Provincial Council members Lee Ju-hyun and Baek Seung-ki. Discussions in Anseong covered long commutes, easing teachers' administrative workload, reviving field trips, and concerns over a decline in local education grants.
Participants in Anseong also stressed the need for field trip support. Because of the area's rural and mixed urban-rural character, travel distances and the burden of safety management are substantial, making it hard for schools to run field trips on their own.
Ahn pointed to the concentration of liability on teachers as the main reason field trips are being cut back. "Under the current system, responsibility for accidents during field trips falls on teachers, so schools are avoiding them," he said.
"Learning outside school is essential for students," he added. "We will provide support so teachers can run field trips without bearing the burden of accidents." He said field trips should be viewed not as simple outside activities but as part of the curriculum that expands students' learning and growth, and that the province will build a stable foundation for them.
Ahn also described support models used in some regions, in which district education offices handle everything from finding venues to signing contracts, and safety instructors accompany students on site. The arrangement divides roles so that schools do not shoulder both administrative procedures and safety management.
"Drawing on these cases, the Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education will provide support starting next year so that field trips can be revived at schools," he said. The provincial office is expected to review a field trip support plan covering venue identification, contract assistance, deployment of safety staff and simplified administrative procedures.
District education offices also responded to local issues. Pyeongtaek District Education Office Superintendent Kim Yun-ki said the office is pushing to build new schools to ease overcrowded classrooms and plans to work with the city of Pyeongtaek to support "Kkumta GO," a circular bus service for student commutes, to address long commutes.
Anseong District Education Office Superintendent Kim Beom-jin explained plans to improve long commutes and to support field trips. He said the office is preparing so that schools can run field trips reliably in line with local conditions.
After Pyeongtaek and Anseong, Ahn plans to visit Yeoncheon, Pocheon and Gapyeong on the 27th to continue meeting with parents. The Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education said it will hear local education concerns directly and draw up support measures that schools can feel on the ground.