Boost Academic Performance with Overnight Stay... Busan Office of Education Expands University-Linked 'Yeongsu Camp'

Busan Students Increased Significantly to 3,600

The ‘Yeolgong’ camp, where students stay overnight and learn English and math subjects at universities in the Busan area, will be expanded.

Busan Metropolitan Office of Education (Superintendent Ha Yun-su) announced on the 12th that it will expand the university-linked overnight ‘Character and English-Math Camp,’ which has received high satisfaction from students and parents and has shown significant improvement in participating students’ academic performance.

The Office of Education plans to increase the scale of the ‘Character and English-Math Camp,’ which was operated for 380 first-year middle school students, to 1,000 students during the summer vacation and 1,500 students during the winter vacation of the 2024 academic year, and to more than 1,800 students each during the summer and winter vacations of the 2025 academic year.

The participation scope, which was limited to low-income and vulnerable groups and the old downtown western Busan area in the 2023 academic year, has been expanded to the entire Busan area starting this summer vacation. In addition, cooperation with universities will be strengthened, increasing the number of participating universities from five to more than ten starting this summer vacation, and expanding to all universities in the Busan area from the winter vacation.

The Office of Education will open recruitment for entrusted universities and participating students for the upcoming summer vacation Character and English-Math Camp.

Recruitment of entrusted universities will be conducted until the 24th of this month, selecting 10 universities that will plan and operate the camp programs, including ▲development and operation of the overnight Character and English-Math Camp program ▲training and management of program instructors ▲management of academic improvement outcomes.

Student recruitment will proceed from the 20th to the 27th, first through school applications and then individual applications. The 1,000 selected students can apply for their preferred participating universities for four days starting June 4, referring to each university’s program.

From the summer vacation camp open to all students in the Busan area, participation costs for ‘students with household income below 90% of the median and vulnerable groups’ will be fully supported by the Office of Education, while other students must pay 612,000 KRW for 15 days of accommodation.

Priority participation opportunities will be given to students with household income below 90% of the median and vulnerable groups, as well as students from the old downtown and western Busan areas, followed by selection of the remaining students.

In the 2023 academic year winter vacation, the Busan Office of Education operated the Character and English-Math Camp at five universities in the Busan area for three weeks to address learning gaps and disparities for 380 first-year middle school students.

The camp was found to have greatly helped improve participants’ academic performance through a high-quality education system and university-specific distinctive learning management programs.

Comparing diagnostic tests taken at admission and final evaluations at discharge, the average score increased by 13.9 points. The proportion of students whose scores improved was 79.5% in English and 74.5% in math, indicating that more than three out of four students improved their grades.

Notably, the greatest improvement was 70 points in math and 52 points in English.

An official from the Office of Education explained that these results are attributed to the synergy effect of a level-based English and math curriculum prepared over several months by a support team, excellent university personnel including native speakers, student-tailored learning management by university student mentor teachers, and the three-week overnight operation.

Student and parent satisfaction with the program was also very high. Satisfaction scores were 95.3 for the curriculum program, 95.3 for learning mentoring, 92.8 for character development programs, and 94.2 for facilities, indicating high overall satisfaction with camp operations.

Participating students also expressed their impressions and gratitude in handwritten letters to Superintendent Ha Yun-su, saying things like, “I became interested in studying after attending the camp,” “I made many new friends and my shy personality became more outgoing,” and “I want to participate in the camp again in the 2nd and 3rd years.”

Superintendent Ha Yun-su of Busan Office of Education said, “The Office of Education is focusing all its capabilities on ‘Academic Change’ to strengthen public education, reduce private education expenses, and eliminate educational disparities. We will spare no support to help Busan’s children receive the best educational environment and grow into talents who settle in Busan.”