Improvement of Online and Offline Study Room Learning Environments in Songpa-gu

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[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Songpa-gu (Mayor Park Seong-su) has undertaken improvements to the learning environments of local online and offline study rooms to provide adolescents with a comfortable and safe place to study despite the COVID-19 situation.

First, the district invested 120 million KRW to improve the facilities of three public youth study rooms to offer adolescents a pleasant study space.

At ‘Solbaram Youth Study Room,’ a lounge was created, and a new outdoor terrace door was installed to allow ventilation and access, aiding in quarantine measures. Interior walls were repainted, chairs and desks were replaced, and indoor lighting was upgraded to LED.

At ‘Songpa Jeil Study Room,’ damaged flooring and chairs were completely replaced, and the space was rearranged to eliminate CCTV blind spots and widen passageways. Desk lamps were switched to LED, and indoor walls were repainted.

At ‘Oryun Youth Study Room,’ chairs and flooring were replaced, storage cabinets and blinds were installed to improve storage space, and the entrance stairway wall was repainted.

Users of the public youth study rooms expressed gratitude, saying, “It was difficult to sit for long periods on the old chairs, but now that they have been replaced with wheeled chairs, there is no noise and no back pain, so concentration lasts longer, which is really great. Above all, the newly created lounge is very convenient and makes the study environment more comfortable.”

Additionally, to support safe self-directed learning at home during the COVID-19 situation, the district is expanding the operation of the ‘Online Study Room’ program that was run during last winter vacation.

The online study room is a program where university student mentors and adolescents communicate in real time for two hours a day via the non-face-to-face platform ZOOM, helping youth develop self-directed study habits. During last winter vacation (January?February), 1,338 participants joined, receiving positive responses from adolescents.

A participant in the winter vacation online study room said, “During the COVID era, it was difficult to study alone at home, but studying together with friends through the online study room was an enjoyable and beneficial time, just like going to school.”

The online study room program is operated by the public Jamsil Youth Center for adolescents and is free to use after application. For more details, applications and information are available on the public Jamsil Youth Center website.

Mayor Park Seong-su stated, “It is fortunate that Songpa-gu adolescents can now study in a more comfortable and convenient environment through these improvements to the public study rooms both online and offline,” adding, “We will continue to actively work to create an environment where youth can study well.”