Lee Hyun-jae, Mayor of Hanam, Oh Seong-ae, Superintendent of Gwangju Hanam Office of Education, and Lee Jin-gyu, Principal of Namhan High School, are posing for a commemorative photo after signing the "Memorandum of Understanding for the Operation of Autonomous Public High School 2.0" on the 23rd in the superintendent's office on the 2nd floor of the main building of the Gwangju Hanam Office of Education. Hanam City, Gyeonggi Province (Mayor Lee Hyun-jae) has joined hands with the Gwangju Hanam Office of Education and Namhan High School, a public high school in the area, to ensure that Namhan High School is selected for the upcoming "Autonomous Public High School 2.0" contest scheduled to be announced in November.
On the 23rd, Mayor Lee Hyun-jae, Gwangju Hanam Office of Education Superintendent Oh Seong-ae, and Namhan High School Principal Lee Jin-gyu signed a "Memorandum of Understanding for the Operation of Autonomous Public High School 2.0" in the education office on the 2nd floor of the main building of the Gwangju Hanam Office of Education.
Additionally, Gyeonggi Provincial Assembly member Kim Seong-su, a member of the Education Planning Committee, attended the signing ceremony to support the enhancement of educational capabilities in Hanam City.
According to the agreement, Hanam City and the Gwangju Hanam Office of Education will take the lead in revitalizing local education by providing administrative and financial support necessary for Namhan High School to operate as an autonomous public high school.
Namhan High School will prepare a designated operation plan featuring a distinctive curriculum and submit an application for the Autonomous Public High School 2.0 contest within this month, striving to specialize and diversify the curriculum, innovate teaching and learning methods, and develop teacher capabilities.
The Ministry of Education's "Autonomous Public High School 2.0" project is designed to enhance regional educational capabilities by operating unique educational models based on cooperation with various institutions such as local governments, universities, and companies.
If selected for the Autonomous Public High School 2.0 project, the school will be granted autonomy to operate academic programs at the level of specialized high schools and autonomous private high schools, including academic operation exceptions such as a non-grade system, early admission, and early graduation. Furthermore, it will receive an annual budget of 200 million KRW for five years from the Ministry of Education and the Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education.
The background for promoting the application for the Autonomous Public High School 2.0 contest was that Assemblyman Kim Seong-su proposed to Mayor Lee Hyun-jae to improve the educational environment of Namhan High School, located in the old city area facing issues such as declining student numbers compared to schools in the new town, which led to a consensus and the start of review.
Subsequently, Mayor Lee Hyun-jae judged that an autonomous public high school should be designated in Hanam City for the first time to nurture outstanding local talent and strengthen public education competitiveness, and made all-out efforts. On the 5th, he actively advocated the necessity of designating Namhan High School as an autonomous public high school to alumni including former Gyeonggi Provincial Superintendent of Education Jo Sung-yoon and Namhan High School Alumni Association President Park Young-sik.
Later, Namhan High School alumni met with Principal Lee Jin-gyu to propose participation in the Autonomous Public High School 2.0 contest, and with the principal’s positive consideration, an opportunity was created for Namhan High School to participate in the contest.
Mayor Lee Hyun-jae of Hanam City emphasized, "To enhance the city's brand value, we judged that it is necessary to create an excellent educational environment that can improve students' capabilities, which led us to support Namhan High School's application for the 'Autonomous Public High School 2.0' contest. Hanam City will closely cooperate with the Gwangju Hanam Office of Education and Namhan High School to mobilize all administrative power to create a foundation for our youth to grow into global leaders."
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