Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, 472.4 Billion KRW Early Supplementary Budget... Investment in Emergency Projects

Securing Basic Operating Expenses for Public Schools and Kindergartens
Support for Educational Participation Allowances and Guardian Operations
Establishing a Digital Infrastructure Including Divot and Electronic Whiteboards

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Byung-don] On the 8th, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education announced that it had urgently prepared the first supplementary budget proposal of this year amounting to 472.4 billion KRW and submitted it to the Seoul Metropolitan Council on the 6th.

The revenue budget for this supplementary budget remained unchanged compared to the 2023 original budget of 12.8915 trillion KRW, and the expenditure budget is sourced from 472.4 billion KRW out of the 568.8 billion KRW internally reserved during the 2023 original budget review process.

Specifically, it consists of 218.3 billion KRW for urgent projects targeting students and schools, 215.3 billion KRW for urgent projects to promote the third term of the Superintendent’s major policies and ongoing projects, and 38.8 billion KRW for other miscellaneous projects.

Urgent Projects Targeting Students and Schools (218.3 billion KRW)

First, 182.9 billion KRW will be allocated as basic operating expenses for public schools. The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education plans to secure 82.4 billion KRW to cover price increases such as public utility fee hikes in 2022 and 100.5 billion KRW for the school space autonomy planning project to address the chronic shortage of facility expenses in schools, providing support without discrimination against private schools.

Next, to implement the Yoon Seok-yeol administration’s national task of full-day elementary education, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education is gradually expanding the operating hours of after-school care classrooms and has secured 25 billion KRW for snack expenses in afternoon care classrooms. This aims to provide proper nutrition to growing students, strengthen care services, and quickly establish conditions for high-quality elementary care classrooms where parents can safely entrust their children.

63.4 billion KRW will be invested in the School Autonomy Project Selection System, which allows individual schools to autonomously decide whether to operate school purpose projects composed of 21 projects across 7 departments and select and operate necessary projects. The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education plans to continue supporting diverse educational activities in school curricula and autonomous school management systems.

To ensure the public nature of private kindergartens and reduce parental burdens, 1.86 billion KRW has been allocated for the normal operation of public-type private kindergartens, covering teacher salaries and operating expenses to prevent care gaps and ease parental burdens.

Additionally, 770 million KRW will be invested to continuously support education participation allowances for out-of-school youth so they can continue their studies or return to school, creating welfare conditions for a normal life. Four hundred million KRW will be allocated to support educational guardians who act as protectors within the community for educationally vulnerable students. Furthermore, 960 million KRW has been budgeted for settlement and monthly support payments for rural boarding students.

On the 26th, LG Electronics representatives showcased electronic whiteboards and robots at the '19th Korea Education Expo' held at COEX in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. The expo, themed "Education is the Future," will continue until the 28th. Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

Third Term Superintendent’s Major Policies and Ongoing Projects (215.3 billion KRW)

1.905 trillion KRW has been allocated for educational digital transformation. Among this, the digital textbook budget will first support about 70% of the shortfall for first-year middle school students, which was not included in the original budget, and conduct a demand survey for first-year high school students. Reflecting school demands, electronic whiteboards will be installed, and the remote class support platform NewSaem will be upgraded. In this regard, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education plans to build a Seoul-type metaverse platform to expand student experiences and connections. Through this smart infrastructure, it aims to prepare for the national task of distributing digital textbooks and provide personalized learning through AI tutor activities.

116 billion KRW will be invested in operating the Seoul Future Education District. The Seoul Future Education District project will be promoted in connection with the Ministry of Education’s Future Education District project participation in 2023, strengthening cooperation between schools and local communities and operating region-linked curricula. Additionally, the DaGachi School program, a village-integrated youth autonomous learning center, and the School Cooperative Support Center will be stably operated to diversify school functions, strengthen students’ autonomy capabilities, and support school cooperatives.

82.7 billion KRW has been allocated for the ongoing operation of the ‘Our Dream Classroom’ program for grades 3 to 6 in elementary schools, which has continued since 2019. For the Green Smart Future School initiative, 36.2 billion KRW will be invested in preliminary planning services and emergency repair costs. This aims to guarantee safe learning rights for students by rebuilding or remodeling school buildings that are over 40 years old after completion.

13.3 billion KRW has been additionally allocated for the operation of the Resident Participatory Budget (School) project, which is promoted under Article 39 of the Local Finance Act and Article 8 of the Resident Participatory Budget Ordinance. Seventy-nine projects selected through last year’s resident contest will be operated at school sites to ensure resident participation in the budget formation process and expand opportunities for distinctive project operations.

The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education has also allocated 38.8 billion KRW for facility project expenses and projects that must be promoted based on laws and ordinances. This includes asbestos removal and asbestos management consulting to create a safe school environment. Education on suicide prevention, student rights, labor rights, and sexual rights will be conducted to strengthen students’ awareness of respect for life and human rights protection.

Cho Hee-yeon, Superintendent of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, explained, “We prepared this supplementary budget proposal by reflecting the council’s feedback as much as possible during the original budget review process, and we will actively communicate with the council during the budget review process to derive an agreed supplementary budget. We focused on urgent projects with high field impact and projects requiring continuous support so that schools face no difficulties at the start of the new semester.”