United Efforts to Designate 'Pohang Education Development Special Zone' as Pilot Area

Discovery of Pohang-type Education Model ... Strengthening Cooperation Among Local Educational Entities

Mayor Lee Kang-deok: "Creating a Region Where Talent Gathers, Realizing the Local Era"

On the 11th, Pohang City held a working-level council meeting to designate a pilot area for the Education Development Special Zone, with the participation of the Pohang Office of Education, local universities and high schools, local businesses, and regional educational organizations.

On the 11th, Pohang City held a practical council meeting for the designation of the education development special zone pilot area in the city hall's main conference room.

The Education Development Special Zone working council was formed in March last year and has been holding continuous meetings to gather various opinions for discovering a Pohang-type education model.

The city has set the slogan "A Door to the Future, Establishing a Virtuous Cycle Education Ecosystem for Local Talent in Pohang" and established three major focus tasks and seven detailed plans: ▲ building an environment to expand care services ▲ strengthening the competitiveness of Pohang public education by expanding school autonomy ▲ establishing an innovative higher education system linking high schools and universities, preparing concrete implementation plans for the designation of the Education Development Special Zone.

At the meeting, participants collected opinions on the direction of promoting the Pohang-type Education Development Special Zone and agreed to actively unite efforts to revitalize local education and discover education models by establishing a cooperative system among institutions.

Pohang City and the Pohang Office of Education have formed and are operating a TF team composed of working-level staff for the Education Development Special Zone. To prepare policy proposals for the Pohang-type Education Development Special Zone, they are conducting a research project for the designation of the zone and a survey on the promotion direction of the Education Development Special Zone targeting Pohang citizens, pursuing a systematic procedure to discover a specialized education model unique to Pohang.

Mayor Lee Kang-deok said, "The Education Development Special Zone is a project to create a vibrant region where talent gathers, develop local public education, and realize the local era," adding, "We will make Pohang a place where people want to stay by ensuring quality education is available locally from early childhood through elementary, middle, and high school to university."

The Education Development Special Zone aims to innovate local education by closely cooperating among local educational stakeholders so that quality education can be received even in local areas, and to create a sustainable education ecosystem from nurturing local talent to regional settlement.

The application for designation as a pilot area for the Education Development Special Zone will be reviewed by the Education Development Special Zone Committee and deliberated and resolved by the Local Era Committee, with the Minister of Education making the final designation. Selected areas will receive special grants ranging from 3 billion to 10 billion KRW over three years and customized local exemptions. Applications are open until February 9, and results will be announced in early March.