Seoul City to Provide 300,000 Won Zero Pay for Next Year's Middle School 1st Grade and High School 1st Grade Enrollment Preparation Funds

Jung Won-oh, Seongdong District Mayor, Leads Support for School Admission Preparation Funds

Jung Won-oh, Mayor of Seongdong-gu, is speaking at a press conference in 2021 regarding the entrance preparation funds for first-year middle school and first-year high school students.

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Jung Won-oh, Mayor of Seongdong-gu, attended the 2021 Middle School 1st Grade and High School 1st Grade Enrollment Preparation Fund Support Press Conference held on the 11th floor of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education main building on the 29th as the representative of the Welfare Grand Agreement TF of the Seoul Metropolitan Council of Mayors, raising his voice for securing the public nature of education.

The 25 autonomous districts of Seoul, Seoul City, and the Office of Education announced that starting from the 2021 new students, they will support an enrollment preparation fund of 300,000 KRW per person via Zero Pay regardless of income to reduce the economic burden on families of students entering middle and high school and to strengthen the public nature of education.

Seongdong-gu is currently in the process of legislative notice for the 'Seoul Special City Seongdong-gu Enrollment Preparation Fund Support Ordinance,' aiming for implementation on January 1st next year.

The enrollment preparation fund will be provided as a mobile gift certificate via Zero Pay upon registration after the new student is assigned to the school they will advance to in February, based on the application materials. The fund can be used to purchase clothing including school uniforms and smart devices such as tablet PCs necessary for remote classes.

Approximately 136,700 new students entering public, national, and private middle and high schools in Seoul will be supported with about 41 billion KRW, with the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, Seoul City, and autonomous districts bearing the costs in a 5:3:2 ratio respectively.

Jung Won-oh, Mayor of Seongdong-gu, said, “This support is an achievement that was difficult to accomplish through consultation and efforts among the 25 autonomous districts, Seoul City, and the Office of Education. I believe it is of great significance that we achieved today’s result through everyone’s active cooperation and resolved conflicts that had arisen due to different support methods in each autonomous district.”