Meeting of the Regional Children's Center Joint Emergency Committee... Promise to Establish a Child Welfare Center
[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Jin-hyung] Yoon Bong-geun, a preliminary candidate for mayor of Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju, stated, "We will address the issues faced by local children's centers through the enactment of ordinances that clearly define the concept of public responsibility."
On the 14th, Yoon announced that he held a policy meeting and communication session with the executive members of the emergency committee of the Gwangsan-gu Local Children's Center Federation.
The meeting was attended by Emergency Committee Chairpersons Ryu Jae-gon and Yoon Jeong-hee, District 1 Center Director Lee Kwang-seon, District 2 Center Director Kim Tae-hee, District 5 Center Director Yeo Gang-wol, District 6 Center Director Park Hyun-ja, and Center Director Park Jong-seok, among others.
Yoon said, "During my tenure as chairman of the city council, I strongly advocated for the establishment of the Education and Youth Division, and now both the city and district have created this division. It is necessary to transform local children's centers from merely childcare facilities into alternative education outside of school that includes education and welfare."
He also emphasized, "The district and city governments, along with the Ministry of Health and Welfare, which oversees local children's centers, must collaborate to resolve current issues and prepare for the future."
Emergency Committee Chairperson Ryu stated, "Compared to Seo-gu and Buk-gu, Gwangsan-gu provides less budget support to local children's centers," and demanded "improvements in workers' treatment, expanded support for general operating expenses, and reinforcement of staff for meals and other services."
Along with this, they requested increased participation of experts in district policy-making and proposed a joint policy proposal agreement.
There was also an opinion that a space is needed for children at the centers to nurture and express their talents, as they currently face many restrictions in terms of time and place.
Yoon added, "Securing land and budget to build a center is entirely feasible, and if I become mayor of Gwangsan-gu, I will definitely pursue this."
Yoon, a former teacher and former chairman of the Gwangju City Education Committee, is evaluated as having greater competitiveness in education and welfare compared to other candidates.
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