This Year's Seoul Education Deliberation Topic: "Discrimination and Hatred" ... To Be Reflected in Policy

A forum will be held to examine cultures of "discrimination" and "hatred" in schools and build social consensus.

On November 11, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education said it would hold the 2026 Seoul Education Public Deliberation Discussion on November 14 in the conference room on the third floor of the office, with the topic, "How Can the Education Community Work Together to Overcome Discrimination and Hatred?"

Yonhap News Agency

Since 2018, the office has pursued public deliberation initiatives to build social consensus on Seoul education policies through democratic deliberation on major policy topics and education issues, and to broaden the basis for participation by diverse education stakeholders.

This year's public deliberation topic was selected through the Seoul Education Public Deliberation Topic Selection Council based on 24 suggestions received from citizens, schools, and institutions. The implementation council finalized the topic as "How Can the Education Community Work Together to Overcome Discrimination and Hatred?"

The discussion will examine the prevalence of discrimination and hatred across the education community and explore ways to address them together in schools. After the discussion, the office plans to compile the results of a preliminary public opinion survey, surveys of participants' views before and after the discussion, and the discussion records into a results report and policy recommendations, and reflect them in Seoul education policies.

A total of 100 people will attend: 30 students in middle school or above, 30 parents, 30 school staff members, and 10 members of the public who indicated in an online survey that they wished to participate in the deliberative discussion. They will be divided into 13 small groups. The first discussion will address, "How is the education community experiencing discrimination and hatred today?" The second will consider, "How can the education community work together to overcome discrimination and hatred?"

The office will establish discussion rules and community commitments that do not single out specific schools, students, or groups, so all participants can share their views safely. It has also put in place a referral system for counseling to prepare for any psychological distress that may arise during the discussion.

Superintendent Jung Geun-sik said, "I hope public deliberation on Seoul education can serve as a stepping stone for our Seoul education community to become more mature democratic citizens."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.