Wando-gun Sees Significant Benefits from Direct Operation of Lifelong Education Center

Wando County has created conditions for residents to access more lifelong learning services. (Photo by Wando County)

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Choi Kyung-pil] Wando-gun, Jeollanam-do (Governor Shin Woo-cheol) announced on the 26th that by directly operating the lifelong education center, which had been consigned from 2003 to 2019, starting in 2020, it has created conditions for residents to receive more lifelong learning services.

Until 2019, it was operated by consignment to a local university, but after switching to a direct management system, the number of lifelong education courses was increased by 20.

In addition, nighttime courses were expanded and opened so that young people and office workers could obtain ITQ certificates and reading coaching instructor certificates, and lifelong education courses were also opened and operated on Nopdo Island in the remote area of Nohwa.

In the first half of this year, despite repeated suspensions and operations while complying with quarantine rules due to COVID-19, 97 courses were operated with about 2,000 participants.

It is expected that if COVID-19 had not occurred and operations had proceeded as in previous years, the effects and the number of beneficiaries from direct management would have been greater and larger.

In particular, as of the first half of this year, about 81 million KRW in consignment fees were saved, and about 15 million KRW in tuition fees paid by learners were processed as revenue and can be used as a budget.

Especially, by overcoming the deduction factors due to consigned operation in the evaluation during public project support and receiving better evaluations, four projects were selected in various public contests, securing a total project cost of 151 million KRW including national and provincial subsidies.

Wando-gun has set an internal policy to operate the lifelong education center flexibly according to the COVID-19 situation in the second half of the year and is currently establishing detailed plans.

A Wando-gun official said, “We plan to open various courses that help daily life and employment so that more residents can participate in the future.”