Yongin Baegam High School and Yongin Samgye High School Selected for 'Autonomous Public High School 2.0'

Autonomy Granted at the Level of Special-Purpose and Autonomous Private High Schools... 1 Billion Won Support Over 5 Years
Mayor Lee Sang-il: "We Will Support to Become a Model for Public Education Development"

Baegam High School and Yongin Samgye High School in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, have been selected as 'Autonomous Public High Schools.'

According to the Ministry of Education and Yongin City on the 23rd, the two schools were included among the 45 schools selected for the Ministry of Education's 'Autonomous Public High School 2.0' project. In Gyeonggi Province, 18 schools, including these two, were selected through the public competition.

The 'Autonomous Public High School 2.0' project grants autonomy to public high schools at the level of autonomous private high schools and special-purpose high schools to improve the quality of public high schools. Unlike the existing 'Autonomous Public High School 1.0,' local governments, universities, and companies can sign agreements to provide customized educational programs, and education experts can be appointed as principals through a public competition.

At the end of last month, during the business agreement for the 'Autonomous Public High School 2.0 Operation,' Principal Kim Dae-gwan of Baekam High School (from the left), Lee Sang-il, Mayor of Yongin, and Principal Kim Young-woo of Yongin Samgye High School are holding up the agreement document.
[Photo by Yongin City]

With this selection, Baegam High School will convert to an autonomous public high school starting this September, and Yongin Samgye High School will do so from March next year. Each school will receive a total budget of 1 billion KRW over five years, with 200 million KRW annually, including 100 million KRW in special grants from the Ministry of Education and 100 million KRW in matching funds from the city and provincial education offices. Additional financial support from local governments and partner organizations is also possible, along with expert consulting related to the curriculum. Through this, the schools will be able to establish and operate customized curricula tailored to their students.

It is said that Mayor Lee Sang-il of Yongin City played a behind-the-scenes role in the selection of these autonomous public high schools. Last month, Mayor Lee personally met with Jang Sang-yoon, Senior Secretary for Social Affairs at the Presidential Office, and Oh Seok-hwan, Vice Minister of Education, to explain the necessity of selecting these two schools as autonomous public high schools. He also secured support commitments for the two schools from major local universities such as Dankook University, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, and Myongji University, as well as public institutions and companies like the Yongin Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Gyeonggi Arts Center.

Mayor Lee said, "We will establish a collaborative system so that the city, local universities, and companies can actively participate together in nurturing talent," and added, "We will continue to pay attention and provide support so that the operation of the two schools becomes a model for the development of public education."