After-School Activity 'Songpa Chaeum Classroom' Expanded to Elementary Schools

Customized Program with Participation of Master's and Doctoral Level Instructors

Songpa-gu, Seoul (Mayor Seo Gang-seok) announced on the 26th that it has expanded the after-school activity program, ‘Songpa Chaeum Classroom,’ at 17 elementary, middle, and high schools in the district starting this month.

‘Songpa Chaeum Classroom’ is an after-school program established by the district to reduce educational disparities by school and region and to foster creative talents. It operates on weekday afternoons or Saturdays, utilizing idle spaces in schools or local areas to fill care gaps.

Last October, the district collaborated with Seoul National University Lifelong Education Institute to provide various programs led by master’s and doctoral-level instructors at 14 middle and high schools in the district. According to the district, 97.7% of participating students were satisfied, and 90% responded that it helped with career exploration, demonstrating high approval.

Accordingly, this year the district has expanded the support target from middle and high schools to include elementary schools and increased the number of target schools from 14 to 17, promoting customized convergence education by school.

In particular, Ewha Womans University Art Education Therapy Research Institute newly participates in the after-school program for elementary students, operating a special program that combines culture, arts, and psychology. It is a process where children, who have just begun socialization, participate in music and art programs with peer groups to cultivate emotions and develop social skills, expected to be an appropriate competency-building class for them.

Additionally, the district has partnered with Seoul National University Lifelong Education Institute to prepare a total of 33 inquiry programs across 5 fields for middle and high school students. These programs cover convergence topics that are difficult to encounter in general curricula, such as the Fourth Industrial Revolution, humanities and social sciences, and career paths, and are conducted through experiments, practice, and discussions.

Examples include ▲First Steps in Finance with Simulated Investment ▲Mathematical Foundations of ChatGPT ▲Creating My Own Career Portfolio to Draw Dreams ▲Our Magical Shop Village, among others. The programs are tailored based on preliminary demand surveys by school, aiming to satisfy the diverse intellectual needs of youth.