Gangdong-gu (Mayor Lee Jung-hun) has announced that it will support about KRW 11.7 billion for educational projects to create a happy educational city for all.

With a budget of KRW 11.7 billion, Gangdong-gu plans to push forward various educational projects at vocational experience centers, self-directed learning support centers, and lifelong learning centers, as well as provide educational subsidies to 93 educational institutions, including kindergartens, and elementary, middle and high schools.

Particularly, the support will be concentrated on the following ten areas: support for the purchase of school uniforms to new middle and high school students (KRW 2.35 billion); free eco-friendly meal service for high school students up to their 2nd year (KRW 4.7 billion); groundbreaking improvement of the educational environment with the participation of students and parents (KRW　1.8 billion); innovative educational district project (KRW　1.5 billion); fostering of prestigious high schools (KRW　700 million); youth literary, artistic and sports activity support (KRW　190 million); career planning and learning support project (KRW　420 million); parents' educational community activity support (KRW　18 million); self-directed learning support center operation (KRW　240 million); and lifelong education programs customized to each age group (KRW　290 million).

In September 2018, Gangdong-gu became the first district to enact the School Uniform Support Ordinance in Seoul and provided free school uniforms to 3,120 high school freshmen last year. This year, Gangdong-gu will expand the support for free school uniforms to new middle school students in order to benefit approximately 3,939 students.

In addition, free meal service will be extended from third-year to second-year high school students. To this end, a budget of a total of KRW　4.7 billion has been secured. Next year, Gangdong-gu plans to provide free lunches to all elementary, middle and high school students.

"Happy Schools We Dream of and Make,” Gangdong-gu's representative school environment improvement project will also continue to be carried out.

The project aims at reconstructing school public spaces that have been uniformly designed into practical and creative spaces with the participation of students and teachers who are the actual users of the school spaces, and parents, as well as public architects as design directors.

With the project, the first practice of Gangdong-gu's spatial welfare policy, a total of 22 Happy Schools will be created in addition to 10 schools that benefited from the project last year.

Meanwhile, about KRW 1.5 billion will be invested in the Gangdong Innovative Education District project, with which 29 programs will be operated in four areas, including village-school linkage, youth autonomous activities, civil-government-academic governance, and regional specialization.

This year, Gangdong-gu plans to focus on expanding the base for innovative education and actively support various projects such as tele-counseling to respond to the different needs of elementary school students, neighborhood exploration, and a variety of selective theme activities that combine the free learning year system for first-year middle school students and the neighborhood instructor system.

A budget of KRW 700 million has been invested in fostering prestigious high schools. Gangdong-gu has pushed forward the project since 2009 to help students develop their potential capabilities. This year, Gangdong-gu will support nearly 150 programs such as school branding and future talent training programs that can specialize the strengths of each school, and provide an educational environment that can develop students' individuality and potential, escaping from university entrance exam-oriented education.

Gangdong-gu also seeks to provide cultural and artistic experiences to teenagers by selecting five participant middle schools that will receive support of KRW 30 million for such experiences. The project intends to awaken and grow students' talents and creativity and promote diversity by focusing on learning through cultural and artistic activities as well as theory-based education.

Lastly, Gangdong-gu will continue to develop various projects to respond to the changing educational environment and collect the opinions of schools, other educational institutions, students and parents, and residents, carrying out self-directed learning support and career planning and learning support projects that will help students learn by themselves and design their career plans, and lifelong education programs for each age group.

“The role and function of local governments in practical educational welfare are becoming more important day by day. We will do our best to achieve universal educational welfare and create a community where everyone is given equal opportunities and make Gangdong a happy educational city," said Gangdong-gu Mayor Lee Jung-hun.

<Related Photos>

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  Gangdong-gu pushed forward the Happy School project where students, parents and teachers participated in designing and implementing the project in 2019.

  (Photo: Happy School Project: Improvement of the Central Entrance of Gangmyeong Elementary School)

  

  Gangdong-gu helps children grow their dreams and talents through the Youth Cultural and Artistic Experience program.

  (Photo: The Sweet Concert designed and implemented by teenagers during the Gwangjinggyo Festival in August 2019)