Busan Office of Education Increases Support for School-Outside Youth Taking the GED Exam

45 Students from Oryun School and 26 from the Out-of-School Youth Support Center

Busan Metropolitan Office of Education is operating a project to provide equal educational opportunities to out-of-school youth, helping them grow into healthy members of society.

The Busan Metropolitan Office of Education (Superintendent Ha Yun-su) announced on the 4th that 71 individuals, including 45 students from Busan Oryun School and 26 youths affiliated with the Out-of-School Youth Support Center, supported by the city education office, will take the "1st Elementary, Middle, and High School Equivalency Examination" on the 6th.

Following last year's support for Busan Oryun School (Busan Juvenile Detention Center) students preparing for the equivalency exam, the city education office expanded support this year to youths at the Out-of-School Youth Support Centers in the Busan area.

In six centers located in Gijang-gun, Busanjin-gu, Sasang-gu, Dong-gu, Nam-gu, and Dongnae-gu, instructors were provided for six subjects: Korean, English, Mathematics, Social Studies, Korean History, and Science. The instructors were selected from retired teachers affiliated with the City Education Office Retired Teachers Center.

Classes were conducted once or twice a week per subject in a Q&A format, considering the conditions of the centers and the characteristics of the youths. Additionally, to match learners' levels, classes were divided into basic and advanced groups to provide individualized support.

The city education office also carefully managed the preparation for the equivalency exam of Busan Oryun School students, who had 55 examinees last year with 43 passing.

This year, the class support was expanded to six subjects by adding Social Studies to Korean, English, Mathematics, Science, and Korean History, and was operated as a problem-solving class using past exam questions suitable for the equivalency exam preparation.

In addition to supporting special classes for the August equivalency exam, the city education office plans to operate alternative education consignment courses such as baking and pastry, hair design, and automated welding to help students restore their academic status, as well as support participation in local competitions.

Ha Yun-su, Superintendent of Busan Metropolitan Office of Education, said, "The city education office has been striving to provide thorough educational support to be a strong pillar for out-of-school youths," and added, "We will always support out-of-school youths so that they can move forward toward their dreams and career paths."