Announcement of 3 Major Plans to Realize 'Universal Educational Welfare'... Full Implementation of 'Eco-Friendly Free School Meals' in Elementary, Middle, and High Schools After 10 Years
'Free Education' Covers Up to 1st Year High School Students... 300,000 Won 'Entrance Preparation Fund' for All New Middle and High School Students
[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced that it will realize 'universal educational welfare' this year through the full implementation of eco-friendly free school meals, free education, and entrance preparation funds. The 'eco-friendly free school meals,' first introduced nationwide in 2011, will be fully implemented in elementary, middle, and high schools after 10 years. As a result, the annual education cost per student is expected to decrease by 3 million KRW.
On the 15th, Seoul City announced that it will accelerate the resolution of educational disparities by realizing the three major universal educational welfare policies based on these measures.
The 'eco-friendly free school meals' program, which has been gradually expanded to all grades in elementary and middle schools and to 2nd and 3rd grades in high schools, will be fully implemented up to 1st grade in high school starting from the new semester this year. The meal unit prices, increased from last year, are 4,898 KRW for elementary schools, 5,688 KRW for middle schools, 5,865 KRW for high schools, and 5,472 KRW for special schools.
The total budget for eco-friendly free school meals this year is approximately 727.1 billion KRW. Seoul City covers 30%, autonomous districts 20%, and the Office of Education 50%. Seoul City's support amount has increased by 29.2 billion KRW from last year to 215 billion KRW. Over the past 10 years, the total project cost reached 4.3386 trillion KRW, with Seoul City contributing 1.2556 trillion KRW, autonomous districts 861.5 billion KRW, and the Office of Education 2.2215 trillion KRW.
In particular, Seoul City established the 'Eco-friendly Distribution Center' in 2010, a public procurement system for school meals, to ensure safe and stable supply of eco-friendly ingredients, managing safety across all stages from production to distribution and consumption. Currently, about 75% of elementary, middle, and high schools in Seoul procure ingredients through the 'Eco-friendly Distribution Center.'
'Free education' will be fully expanded this year to include high schools, following elementary and middle schools. High school free education will be extended to 1st grade this year, following 3rd grade in the second semester of 2019 and 2nd grade last year. Consequently, all high school students in Seoul (excluding private schools where principals set entrance and tuition fees) totaling 189,414 students will receive annual tuition support of 1.96 million KRW per student.
Seoul City and the Office of Education have allocated a budget of 368.1 billion KRW this year as the Ministry of Education begins free education for all high school grades. Of this, the city will support approximately 8.3 billion KRW (2.25%) annually until 2024.
The newly introduced 'entrance preparation fund' will provide 300,000 KRW per person in Zero Pay points to all new middle and high school students and so-called out-of-school youth who have chosen alternative education instead of public education. National, public, and private middle and high schools will share the cost in a 3:2:5 ratio among Seoul City, autonomous districts, and the Office of Education, while alternative education institutions will be fully funded by the city.
The first recipients include approximately 136,700 new students at national, public, and private middle and high schools in Seoul, as well as new students at 56 unlicensed alternative education institutions registered with Seoul City. Since alternative education institutions admit students throughout the semester, unlike formal schools, the number of recipients is variable. Considering past trends, the city estimates 500 new students at alternative education institutions this year and has allocated a budget of 150 million KRW.
Seo Jeong-hyeop, Acting Mayor of Seoul, stated, "This year marks the completion of the eco-friendly free school meals program, which Seoul City has gradually expanded over 10 years to all grades in elementary, middle, and high schools," adding, "With free education and entrance preparation funds, the three major universal educational welfare policies have been realized, ensuring that all students can enjoy their basic right to education regardless of family environment, region, or social class."
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