학생인권과 학교자율화 정책에 대한 일고찰

Recently, Ministry of Education and Science Technology announced its autonomous school policy to increase the autonomy of individual schools and to substantiate the self governance of the local education system in order to increase the satisfaction and competitiveness of public education. Its plans include transferring and delegating the authority and responsibility of primary and secondary education to the superintendents and principals and incorporating the demands of the students and parents to induce more diverse and unique educational activities. This study examined the meaning of public education and the rights of students presented by the International Covenants on Human Rights. With this as the basis, the implication for the autonomous school policy and the current exposure of autonomous school policy in the realities of current education system and student rights were analyzed after the consideration of the government's role in public education. Also, the effect of the lack of autonomous school policy in student rights and policy-making process of the autonomous school policy were analyzed as well. In result, findings showed that sections in the autonomous school policy did not meet the international human rights standards and the minimum obligation of the government in education, in the right to survival and right of development of children, anti-discrimination, and consideration of the best interest of children suggested by the International Covenants on Human Rights. Ministry of Education and Science Technology already acknowledged the problems of the abolishment guidelines managed by the schools which may harm the health and safety of the students. In order to prevent the possibility of retrograde of human rights while implementing the autonomous school policy, ‘Guidelines for School-Operated Student Rights’ should be established and enforced at the earliest opportunity.