Ulsan Office of Education Selected as Best in Active Administration for Securing Funds for Green Smart Future Schools

Ministry of Education Provides 74.6 Billion KRW for School Convenience Facilities

Seven Outstanding Proactive Administration Cases Selected and Awarded in First Half

A case where additional funding was secured through active communication with the Ministry of Education to establish Green Smart Future Schools was selected as the top example of proactive administration by the Ulsan Metropolitan Office of Education for the first half of this year.

The Ulsan Metropolitan Office of Education (Superintendent Cheon Changsoo) recently held the 2nd Ulsan Office of Education Proactive Administration Support Committee meeting and selected seven outstanding cases of proactive administration for the first half of 2024. Prior to this, the office had openly solicited outstanding cases of proactive administration from all institutions (schools) and selected seven out of nineteen submissions.

The top award for proactive administration in the first half of the year went to Park Sangjin, a staff member of the Green Smart Future School Promotion Team, for the achievement titled “Securing Additional Budget for Green Smart School Lease-type Private Investment Project (BTL).”

The lease-type private investment project is a method in which private capital is used to construct school buildings, and upon completion, ownership is transferred to the Office of Education, which then pays rent to the private operator for 20 years.

Park actively communicated with the Ministry of Education to secure additional support, as the Green Smart Future School project required substantial internal funding.

In particular, by striving to receive the returned funds from lease-type private investment projects (BTL) of other city and provincial offices of education, Park succeeded in obtaining an additional 74.6 billion KRW from the Ministry of Education, saving 44.2 billion KRW of internal funds.

With the additional funds, Park expanded the underground parking lot and developed a Green Smart specialized model, creating educational convenience facilities that satisfied the school community.

The Excellence Award went to three individuals including Choi Wonrim, Team Leader of the Facilities Support Division at the Northern District Office of Education, for “Bright Classrooms Gifted by Recycled Light Emitting Diodes (LED),” and to two individuals including Park Eunkyung, Director of Hwabong Elementary School, for “Communication and Cooperation with Local Governments: Turning Stepping Stones into Safe Pedestrian School Routes!”

The Encouragement Award was given to Lee Sunje, Supervisor of the Future Education Division, for “Achieving Corporate Satisfaction, Student Inspiration, and Budget Savings through Customized Corporate Education Design,” and to Park Jookyung, staff member of the Policy Office, for “Savings Revealed Upon Closer Look! Reimbursement of Health Insurance Premiums for Private Temporary Teachers.”

The Honorable Mention went to two individuals including Bae Jeongin, Team Leader of the Secondary Education Division, for “Changing, Fixing, Creating, and Raising the Hope Placement Rate for General High Schools,” and to three individuals including Han Sungki, Director of the Facilities Support Division at the Southern District Office of Education, for “No More Worries about School Heating and Cooling Systems: Liberation from Saunas and Cold Rooms.”

The Ulsan Office of Education will award a prize of 800,000 KRW and a commendation from the superintendent, as well as personnel benefits, to the recipient of the top award. Recipients of the Excellence, Encouragement, and Honorable Mention awards will receive 600,000 KRW, 400,000 KRW, and 200,000 KRW, respectively.

Yeom Kisung, Deputy Superintendent and Chair of the Proactive Administration Support Committee, said, “I hope the selection of outstanding cases of proactive administration will serve as an opportunity for public officials to take pride and work even more proactively,” adding, “We will continue to foster an atmosphere of proactive work and pursue creative and user-oriented administration.”