Aiming for Two Goals with School Cooperatives: 'Innovative Education' and 'Community-School Symbiosis'

Ulsan Office of Education Selects Dudong Elementary, Sangbuk Middle, and Ulsan High for School Cooperatives

Ulsan Metropolitan Office of Education building.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Hong Jeonghwan] Ulsan Metropolitan Office of Education selected Dudong Elementary School as the school cooperative support target, and Sangbuk Middle School and Ulsan High School as preliminary school cooperatives in the ‘2021 School Cooperative Contest’.

The Office of Education held the school cooperative contest to support the activation of school cooperatives through the establishment and operation of school cooperatives, and to build a village education community where innovative educational growth and continuous cooperation and coexistence between the village and school are possible.

Among the schools that submitted applications, the final support schools were selected by reviewing the feasibility, practicability, and sustainability of their business plans.

Dudong Elementary School operated a preliminary school cooperative for the past year. Based on this experience, it plans to provide various and distinctive educational activity opportunities through the school cooperative, such as operating after-school programs, developing and operating field experience programs connecting the village and school, and running a school store for student welfare.

Sangbuk Middle School plans to operate a school store and book cafe, and Ulsan High School plans various social economy classes and activities for youth through autonomous clubs under the theme of “Social Economy Classroom with iCOOP.”

Regarding budget support, 20 million KRW will be provided as establishment support funds to one school cooperative, and 2.5 million KRW each as operation support funds to two preliminary school cooperatives in March next year.

Ulsan Dongcheon High School, which was selected in this year’s school cooperative contest, is operating various business divisions such as school store operation, social economy education projects, and student welfare projects despite the COVID-19 crisis. Although the store opening ceremony was scheduled for the 28th, it has been tentatively postponed to February next year due to the recent third wave of COVID-19.

Baek Janghyun, Director of Educational Innovation Division, said, “Through various educational activities based on school cooperatives, we will realize school autonomy and continue to provide support and cooperation to implement social economy education based on life and social values, student-centered economic experiences, and educational welfare.”