Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education to Establish 'Integrated Online School' Next Year... Supporting Learning for Educationally Disadvantaged Students

Plans for Establishment Ahead of Next Year's High School Credit System Introduction
Support for Educationally Disadvantaged Students and Expansion of Subject Choice
Future Development as a 'Korean-style High School Minerva School'

With the introduction of the high school credit system scheduled for next year, a "Seoul Integrated Online School (tentative name)" providing real-time interactive remote classes for students under the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education is set to be established. The Seoul Integrated Online School is expected to contribute to supporting the learning of educationally disadvantaged students and expanding students' subject choices.

On the 12th, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education announced plans to establish the Seoul Integrated Online School, aiming to open in March next year. The school will operate by opening part-time online and offline classes to students under the Office of Education, supporting the stable operation of the high school credit system and the learning of educationally disadvantaged students such as those with health disabilities.

Photo of Galmae High School related to the implementation of the High School Credit System / Photo by Moon Ho-nam munonam@

The planned site for establishment is the branch campus of Deoksu High School in Seongdong-gu, Seoul, which is scheduled to close in February this year. It will be equipped with 30 online lecture rooms, 10 classrooms for both online and offline use, a virtual studio, and a content production room. Each room will be designed as a future-oriented teaching and learning environment reflecting cutting-edge digital technology.

The Seoul Integrated Online School plans to offer subjects within the curriculum that are not provided by individual schools, as well as various subjects outside the official curriculum. This is expected to expand students' subject choices and diversify school curricula. To this end, the Office of Education is planning ▲ student-initiated curricula ▲ high school-university linked curricula ▲ out-of-school curricula ▲ glocal Korean language curricula ▲ hospital school learning support programs, among others.

Furthermore, after its establishment, the Seoul Integrated Online School plans to expand its functions and roles through stages of "expansion" and "leap" by revising related laws and regulations, eventually becoming a full-time academic recognition educational institution. During the expansion stage, it will operate affiliated broadcasting and communication middle and high schools, adding the role of an academic recognition institution beyond credit recognition courses, moving toward a full-time curriculum. In the leap stage, the part-time courses will be expanded to out-of-school youth, foreign international students, etc., while developing into a "Korean-style High School Minerva School" that recognizes high school academic credentials through a three-year online course.

Cho Hee-yeon, Superintendent of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, stated, "The establishment of the Seoul Integrated Online School will be an opportunity to take a step closer to realizing a future education in Seoul where diversity blossoms through expanding students' subject choices and supporting the diversification of school curricula."