Study on the current status of operation of the local education finance self-investment review system and case studies

This study analyzes the current operation of the self-investment review system, which is implemented to ensure the efficient management of local education finance and the validity of fiscal investment, and proposes measures for its improvement. The study conducted a comparative review of the ordinances related to self-investment review in 17 metropolitan and provincial offices of education through the National Law Information Center, and carried out interviews with five officials from Office A, focusing on review thresholds, procedures, and operational challenges. The analysis revealed several key issues, including the unrealistic threshold amounts for investment review, discrepancies in committee composition compared to the Local Finance Act, and institutional irrationalities in review operations. The suggested improvements are as follows: first, raising the threshold amounts for investment review to 5 billion KRW or more for general projects and 1 billion KRW or more for event-related projects; second, revising relevant legislation to allow the participation of specialized officials in the review committees, thereby reflecting the unique characteristics of education; and third, addressing problems in Office A’s review process, such as ambiguous criteria, rigid procedures, and insufficient review opportunities. This study highlights that the self-investment review system should balance educational values with policy rationality, ultimately enhancing the efficiency of education finance management.