Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education Operates Intensive Application Period for Education Expenses and Education Benefits Support

The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education will operate a focused application period for educational expenses and educational benefits support for students from low-income households, targeting elementary, middle, and high school students, from the 2nd to the 17th.

Recipients of educational benefits can receive support for elementary, middle, and high school educational activity support expenses, high school entrance fees and tuition, and high school textbook costs.

Recipients of educational expenses support will receive assistance for high school tuition, high school meal fees, after-school free course vouchers, internet communication fees, and beneficiary-borne expenses. However, students eligible for free education and free meal support are excluded from high school tuition and meal fee support.

The total budget for educational expenses and educational benefits support this year is approximately 61.8 billion KRW, and this year, the scope and content of educational expense support have been improved to provide broader assistance.

In particular, the eligibility for after-school free course vouchers has been expanded from students with household incomes at or below 70% of the median income to those at or below 80% of the median income.

The previously supported small-scale themed educational travel expenses and training activity expenses, which were limited to 400,000 KRW and 140,000 KRW respectively, will be increased to 500,000 KRW and 200,000 KRW.

The weekday meal fee support during the semester for schools excluded from free meals has also been raised from 7,000 KRW per meal to 8,000 KRW per meal to enable more practical support.

For educational benefits, the unit cost for educational activity support has been increased by an average of 23.2% across elementary, middle, and high schools.

According to the Ministry of Education’s policy, educational benefits will be provided through a nationwide common card point voucher system starting this year to encourage usage in line with the program’s purpose.

Existing and new recipients of educational benefits must apply separately for the voucher through the website (e-voucher.kosaf.go.kr).

Parents wishing to apply for educational benefits and educational expenses support can visit their local community service center to apply in person or apply online via the Bokjiro website (www.online.bokjiro.go.kr) or the One-Click Education Expenses website (oneclick.moe.go.kr). Applications can be submitted anytime even after the focused application period ends.

A representative from the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education stated, “We expect support for economically disadvantaged students to become more thorough and extensive,” adding, “We will continue to strive to ensure that more students can benefit from educational welfare.”