In May Last Year, Signed a Business Agreement with Gwacheon National Science Museum and Operated Science Museum Experience Programs; In the First Half of Last Year, 600 Elementary Students and 800 Middle School Students Visited Gwacheon Science Museum; In the First Half of This Year, 600 Students from 4 Elementary Schools and 500 Students from 3 Middle Schools Explored the Science Museum... Plans to Visit Samsung Electronics Suwon Innovation Center, Japan Tsukuba JAXA in Summer, and Taiwan TSMC in Winter... 173 Seniors Attending ‘Neulpureum School’ Visited the Science Museum Twice in May, Providing Science Museum Experience Opportunities to Various Community Members...
Choi Ho-kwon, Mayor of Yeongdeungpo District (center), is explaining his views on the future vision through communication with young people.
"To learn about a country's past, you visit a museum; to learn about its future, you visit a science center."
This is the usual philosophy of Choi Ho-kwon, Mayor of Yeongdeungpo District, and it clearly reflects the reason behind the district's key policy goal in the 8th elected term: establishing Yeongdeungpo as a "Special Science Education District."
We are now in an era where the level of the Fourth Industrial Revolution?AI, IoT, big data, robotics?directly determines a nation's competitiveness. To win in the fierce competition of this era, it is crucial to nurture future talents equipped with advanced scientific and technological capabilities.
Mayor Choi said he gained many insights after attending the world's largest IT and electronics exhibition (CES) held in the United States this January. Notably, during the trip, he visited the headquarters of OPEN AI, the global AI venture company that developed Chat GPT. Among the approximately 800 employees there, the majority are of Indian, Chinese, and American descent, with only a very small number of Koreans. This experience made him deeply realize that nurturing scientific talent in Korea is an urgent and vital task.
To cultivate future scientific talents leading the Fourth Industrial Revolution and to spread scientific culture, the district signed a business agreement with the National Gwacheon Science Museum last May. For the first time in Seoul, the district operates a "Visiting Science Principle Experience Classroom" linked to 80 science principle contents from the Gwacheon Science Museum and school science curricula, supporting students to easily grasp scientific principles.
Additionally, in the first half of last year, 600 elementary students and in the second half, 800 middle school students toured the Gwacheon Science Museum. In the first half of this year, 600 students from four elementary schools and 500 students from three middle schools completed their visits to the science center.
Students from Yeongdeungpo-gu experience riding a bicycle simulator and racing through a futuristic city
On June 15, Kim (12), a student from Yeongwon Elementary School who participated in the science center tour, shared her special experience: "There were many things to try, so it was fun. Especially, the time spent watching constellations in the planetarium and listening to stories about them was the most memorable, and it made me want to become an astronomer."
In Yeongdeungpo, the science center is not just for students. In May, 173 seniors enrolled in the adult literacy class "Neulpureum School," designed for elders who missed their chance to learn earlier in life, visited the science center twice. One senior who visited said, "I rode the space elevator and visited the space station, and seeing robots I had only seen on the news made me realize how much technology has advanced. Even though I am old, my curiosity was sparked." He emphasized the necessity of science education, saying, "Knowing how to use smartphones and other scientific technologies is essential to living in today's world."
One senior who went on the science center outing wrote a poem about their experience:
'When going on a simple picnic to the science center,
I wondered what I would see, thinking it might be difficult.
Leaning back on the chair to rest my aching legs, I saw the aurora dancing and waving gently.
The aurora that looks like all the dreams in the world are singing~
It is the hope I met for the first time in my life.
I have fulfilled all my dreams.
Sitting and watching the aurora,
A dreamlike event
I never thought would happen in my life~
In the second half of the year, the directors and executives of the Daycare Center Association will tour the Gwacheon Science Museum. From a leadership perspective, this is to first recognize the importance and necessity of science education and to spread empathy among children.
Starting this year, all 20,000 elementary and middle school students (ages 7?15) in the district are provided with an annual science culture usage voucher worth 30,000 KRW per person (50,000 KRW for welfare recipients) to visit and experience the Gwacheon Science Museum anytime.
Among two types of vouchers, one can be chosen for use, and welfare recipients can use both types without selection. (Type 1) is a membership voucher affiliated with the National Gwacheon Science Museum, offering benefits such as free admission to the permanent exhibition hall (for the holder), four free admission tickets (for accompanying guests, etc.), 50% discount on planetarium admission, and 20% discount on observatory education fees. The usage period is within one year from the registration date. (Type 2) is a general science culture voucher usable at four locations: National Children's Science Museum, Seodaemun Natural History Museum, Nowon Astronomy and Space Science Center, and Bucheon Robo Park. It is automatically deducted when used for admission fees, education, and experience programs, with a usage deadline of December 15 this year.
To benchmark this pioneering exemplary case in Yeongdeungpo District, inquiries from other autonomous districts including Seoul City have been nonstop recently.
"The spread of exemplary cases pioneered locally throughout Seoul and eventually nationwide is the true realization of local autonomy," said Mayor Choi Ho-kwon of Yeongdeungpo District with a proud smile, revealing his true spirit as a local autonomy advocate.
Since May, Mayor Choi has been conducting parent meetings by visiting schools in the district. So far, he has completed meetings at 20 schools (9 elementary, 7 middle, and 4 high schools) and plans to visit 7 more schools.
Parents' responses have been positive, as many things have changed in education policy since the 8th elected term began.
One parent said, "What Mayor Choi Ho-kwon is doing to give students a vision and hope for the future through science education is truly remarkable."
Parents believe that the mayor's forward-thinking recognition?that students cannot prepare for the future with outdated rote learning methods like memorizing math and English, and that visits to places like the Gwacheon National Science Museum help spark interest in a new world?will be a great help.
Parents feel the mayor's dedicated efforts to nurture scientific talent through science principle experience classrooms using Gwacheon Science Museum content, science center experience programs, distribution of science culture vouchers, and overseas advanced science culture experience programs. Moreover, his attitude of continuous communication with parents and education officials, along with prompt feedback after communication, has been sufficient to build trust in the district's educational development.
Choi Ho-gwon, Yeongdeungpo District Mayor (second from the left), is having a conversation at a parents' meeting.
Yeongdeungpo was once a key player in the Miracle on the Han River during the industrialization era. To transform into a future advanced industry leader supporting the Fourth Industrial Revolution fields such as AI, big data, and robotics, the district launched the "Yeongdeungpo Future Education Foundation" in January this year and is now operating it in full swing for systematic cultivation of scientific talent.
In the future, the Future Education Foundation will expand its functions beyond science education to include lifelong learning support and education for the disadvantaged, serving as the "control tower" for education in Yeongdeungpo.
In July, the foundation plans to operate an "Overseas Advanced Aerospace Camp" in countries like Japan and Taiwan, providing opportunities for students with excellent scientific thinking and inquiry skills to experience advanced science culture abroad and grow into global talents. Specialized lectures in promising future technology fields such as aerospace and advanced robotics will also be offered.
Mayor Choi Ho-kwon said, "In an era where artificial intelligence such as Chat GPT, robots, and autonomous driving is becoming full-fledged, science education is not a choice but a necessity. We will do our best to create an environment where children develop an interest in science and all residents can share a scientific culture, making Yeongdeungpo a genuine 'Special Science Education District.'"
Mayor Choi, an engineering graduate from Seoul National University majoring in Food Engineering, passed the civil service exam and served as Director of Culture and Public Relations at Yeongdeungpo District Office, Policy Secretary for Seoul City, Administrative Officer for the Presidential Office's Administrative Autonomy, Planning and Management Officer at the National Science and Technology Committee, Consul General at the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in India, and Exhibition Research Director at the National Gwacheon Science Museum. After being elected as mayor in the 8th term, he has brought great vitality to regional development, including attracting the Yeouido 2nd Sejong Center for the Performing Arts and creating the Mullae-dong Flower Garden.
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