"Student Numbers Are Increasing"... Jung-gu Namsan Elementary School Up by 33 Students

Kim Gil-seong, Jung-gu Mayor, Visits Kindergartens and Elementary to High School Education Sites to Create Communication Opportunities with Parents

Jung-gu Ranks First Among Seoul Districts in Per-Student Subsidy for Educational Institutions Budgeted This Year

Namsan Elementary School Shows Results of Full Support from the District with High Parent Satisfaction and Increasing Student Numbers

"The number of students is increasing. The 'Returning Jung-gu' has already started at Namsan Elementary School."

At the 'Empathy Talk Talk Meeting with Parents' held on the morning of the 12th at Namsan Elementary School, Principal Kim Kyung-mi said this with a bright smile.

The increase in students at Namsan Elementary School, which had been struggling with declining numbers, has occurred over the past few years. The number of students, which was 197 in 2021, increased by 14% over two years, reaching 230 students currently enrolled in 2023.

This is analyzed to be due to Jung-gu's full support including educational expense subsidies, care services, and after-school classes. The per-student subsidy provided by Jung-gu to educational institutions such as kindergartens and schools this year is 894,000 KRW, the highest amount among Seoul districts.

Various specialized programs also played a role in retaining students. For the first time among Seoul districts, Jung-gu signed an agreement with Job World to support career and job experience, and plans to conduct economic education in collaboration with local financial institutions, leveraging the area's concentration of financial companies.

The Jung-gu style care service, provided free of charge by the district, is used by 100 students, accounting for 43% of the total 230 students at Namsan Elementary School. After-school classes such as 4th Industrial Revolution and one-student-one-instrument classes have over 90% student participation. Word of mouth about reduced private education expenses and the ability for dual-income families to safely leave their children has increased inquiries about enrollment and transfers to the school.

About ten people, including Jung-gu Mayor Kim Gil-seong, district and school officials, and parents, attended the meeting. One parent welcomed the district's various supports, saying, "After Namsan Elementary students went to Job World for career and job experience on the 24th of last month, it became an opportunity for them to more concretely envision their career paths."

However, parents requested additional district support for areas needing improvement such as the old auditorium facilities, outdoor decks, and flower beds. The district promised to prioritize student safety and prepare support measures for urgently needed educational environment improvements.

Jung-gu Mayor Kim Gil-seong said, "As the world rapidly changes, an era has come where talents with diverse values and worldviews are needed," adding, "We will continue to provide abundant educational and experiential opportunities so that future generations can creatively view the world."

The district plans to visit education sites throughout the year to hold meetings between parents and school principals and listen attentively to opinions from the education field.

Nowon Youth Sexual Counseling Center Conducts Digital Sexual Violence Prevention Education for Caregivers

First Youth Sexual Counseling Center Operated by a Seoul District, Ensuring Sexual Rights and Promoting Gender Equality Culture

Conducting Digital Sexual Violence Prevention Education for Caregivers to Learn Communication Methods Tailored to Their Children's Perspectives

Providing Sexual Concern Counseling and Educational Counseling to Help Youth Grow as Sexual Subjects Who Respect Others' Rights

Nowon-gu (Mayor Oh Seung-rok) operates the Youth Sexual Counseling Center (Director Chu Guk-hwa) and will conduct caregiver education to prevent digital sexual violence against children and adolescents.

According to the '2022 Cyber Violence Survey' announced by the Korea Communications Commission last March, one out of ten adolescents reported witnessing digital sexual crimes such as illegal distribution of videos, illegal filming, and humiliation by acquaintances, with the witnessing rate increasing with longer internet usage time.

In response, the district decided to conduct education for caregivers to prevent digital sexual violence among youth, which has recently been pointed out as a serious issue. This is to help activate sex education within families.

The education will be conducted by a professional counselor with over 10 years of experience in youth sexual counseling. It will cover the characteristics of youth sexual culture and digital culture, the structure in which digital sexual crimes occur, and methods to prevent digital sexual crimes along with step-by-step coping strategies.

Additionally, methods for sex education within the family will be introduced, and a Q&A session will be held to resolve caregivers' concerns related to their children's sexuality.

A center official explained, "Digital sexual crimes have different structures and characteristics from traditional crimes, so understanding them is most important," adding, "It is necessary to approach not by simply restricting the use of digital devices but by understanding children's culture and communicating accordingly," emphasizing the need for education.

Education can be applied for through the Nowon Youth Sexual Counseling Center website or by phone, and if eight or more caregivers gather, education can be conducted either at the center or through visits.

The Nowon Youth Sexual Counseling Center was the first established by a basic local government nationwide. Unlike sexual violence counseling centers that support after incidents or youth sexual culture centers responsible for experience and education, Nowon-gu is unique in focusing mainly on sexual counseling before problems or incidents arise.

Opened in February 2022 on the third floor of Junggye On Village Center, the center helps children and adolescents honestly address concerns and questions related to puberty, pregnancy and childbirth, dating, and sexual behavior. It offers individual and group face-to-face and non-face-to-face counseling, as well as outreach counseling to homes, providing tailored counseling quickly according to situations.

The center operates weekdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Counseling can be requested via phone (10 a.m. to 5 p.m.), email, or KakaoTalk (10 a.m. to 8 p.m.), and counseling fees are free for Nowon-gu residents.

Nowon-gu Mayor Oh Seung-rok said, "By sharing information with parents, we have expanded education to prevent the increasing digital sexual crimes among youth," adding, "We will continue to strengthen the public role so that our children can grow into individuals with correct sexual values."