Gwangju Dong-gu, Lifelong Education for Disabled People ‘Donghaeng (東行) & Donghaeng (同幸)’ Receives Positive Response

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Jin-hyung] Dong-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City announced on the 11th that the lifelong education program for the disabled, ‘Donghaeng (東行) & Donghaeng (同幸),’ aimed at creating a happy city for the disabled where people with disabilities and the general public grow together, is receiving great response from local people with disabilities.

This program, selected through a public contest by the Gwangju Lifelong Education Promotion Institute, with a total investment of 50 million KRW, was prepared to expand lifelong education that people with disabilities and the general public can participate in together and to improve the quality of lifelong education for the disabled.

Currently, 136 students are enrolled in a total of 10 programs including organizing and storage certification, data labeling, and coffee barista certification, among which 48 students with disabilities, about 35%, are participating.

In fact, while the overall adult lifelong learning participation rate in Korea is an average of 43.4%, the participation rate in lifelong education for people with disabilities is less than 1.6%.

Accordingly, Dong-gu enacted the Ordinance on Support for Lifelong Education for the Disabled in 2020 to provide the optimal environment tailored to the lifelong education needs and preferences of people with disabilities.

In addition, Dong-gu Lifelong Learning Center, a barrier-free (BF) certified facility, was opened in March last year, and continuous efforts have been made recently to realize integrated lifelong education through promotion of disability-related organizations and networks.

Im Taek, Mayor of Dong-gu, said, “Through this project, I hope that a lifelong education community organically connected to the lives of people with disabilities will be realized in our Dong-gu,” and added, “We will continue to expand educational opportunities for people with disabilities so that their social participation can increase further.”