[This Person] Park Junhee, Gwanak District Mayor, Why Did He Start Operating 'Gwanakcheong(聽) Visiting Schools'?

Under Strict Quarantine Rules, Communication Meetings Held with Parents of 28 Elementary, Middle, and High Schools... A Total of 216 Proposals Received, 74 Immediately Addressed and Resolved & To Be Promoted in Consultation with Relevant Departments

On June 15th, Gwanak Middle School hosted the Gwanakcheong outreach program.

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Since the launch of the 7th local government, Park Jun-hee, Mayor of Gwanak-gu, has made ‘resident communication’ and ‘co-governance’ the core values of district administration. He has expanded the scope and depth of citizen participation by establishing the nation’s first cafe-style mayor’s office called ‘Gwanakcheong,’ the ‘Online Gwanakcheong’ open 365 days a year, and the ‘Mobile Gwanakcheong’ that visits every neighborhood, attentively listening to residents’ voices.

However, due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic starting last year, with schools conducting remote classes, it was not easy for parents to approach Gwanakcheong even if they had suggestions or complaints regarding school management and education.

In response, the district came up with the idea of ‘Gwanakcheong Visiting Schools’ and since last April, under strict quarantine guidelines, has toured 28 elementary, middle, and high schools in the area to hold communication sessions to hear vivid opinions from parents on site.

To comply with COVID-19 social distancing, the on-site discussions were conducted without the attendance of department heads; instead, Mayor Park Jun-hee personally listened to parents’ voices and directly responded in detail to their suggestions and questions.

One parent said, “It is appreciated that the mayor personally answers all questions and carefully notes our suggestions, working together to find solutions.”

Mayor Park Jun-hee explained the reason for visiting schools by saying, “In many cases, education administration has been centered on the opinions of the relevant departments and schools. It is also important to hear the thoughts of students and parents directly on site. Both parents and we share the same desire for our children to receive education in a better environment, even if just a little.”

Over a total of 28 sessions of ‘Gwanakcheong Visiting Schools,’ 216 proposals were received. Among them, 71 cases (33%) were related to education expenses, followed by 44 cases in construction and transportation, 24 in general education, and 16 in urban parks.

Major issues included ▲support for education expenses to urgently improve school environments ▲maintenance of school zone facilities ▲crackdown on illegal parking on school routes during commuting hours ▲enforcement and guidance on no-smoking zones around schools ▲creation of parks where families can relax, among various other proposals and suggestions.

Immediate actions were taken on 74 proposals that could be resolved quickly, such as ▲supporting 1.3 billion KRW in education expense subsidies for 24 schools including Kwangshin Broadcasting Arts High School ▲maintenance of school zone facilities like installing protective fences in front of Inheon Elementary School ▲parking enforcement and guidance during commuting hours at eight schools including Nambu Elementary School ▲supporting the construction of a futsal field at Seoul Tourism High School and a VR sports classroom at Inheon Elementary School.

The district plans to resolve as many proposals as possible through consultation with relevant departments, except for those difficult to address legally or institutionally.

Meanwhile, based on the judgment that local schools need support for environmental improvements through ‘Gwanakcheong Visiting Schools,’ the district plans to include 1 billion KRW for ‘education expense subsidies’ in the supplementary budget this September.

Since 2018, when the education expense subsidy was 1.5 billion KRW, Gwanak-gu under the 7th local government plans to expand it to about 6 billion KRW after this year’s supplementary budget, focusing on improving educational facility environments.

Mayor Park Jun-hee said, “Although social distancing and non-face-to-face activities are increasing, what is most important at times like this is endless communication with residents,” adding, “We will continue to create opportunities for communication with parents to exchange vivid and diverse opinions from the education field.”