Attendance at the National Council of Provincial and Metropolitan Education Superintendents General Meeting
Emphasizing Rural Study Abroad Policy "Closing the Education Gap"
Jeong Geun-sik, Superintendent of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, stated regarding the securing of local education finance grants, "From an educational perspective that looks far into the future, education finance must be secured and used stably so that educational activities can be carried out smoothly."
On the 21st, Superintendent Jeong attended the 100th General Assembly of the National Association of Metropolitan and Provincial Superintendents of Education for the first time since his inauguration, saying, "There are many opinions about local education finance grants due to the declining school-age population."
He added, "Along with appropriate government financial support such as continuous support for free high school education, I hope that stable local education finance will be secured to create conditions where essential educational activities and regionally distinctive educational activities can be carried out in various ways."
Jung Geun-sik, the newly appointed Superintendent of Education for Seoul, is being interviewed by Asia Economy at the Jongno-gu Office of Education. Photo by Jo Yong-jun
He said, "In the society to come, we must cooperate to find various solutions to questions that have no definite answers," adding, "For this, students need to develop the wisdom and capabilities to proactively understand problems and wisely overcome them."
He also emphasized the 'Nongchon Yuhak' (rural study-abroad) policy promoted by the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education. Superintendent Jeong stated, "'Nongchon Yuhak' and similar policies have established an educational foundation that helps close the educational gap between the metropolitan area and provinces and enables mutual growth," and added, "Based on exchanges and cooperation with other metropolitan and provincial superintendents, we will strive to further expand policies like Nongchon Yuhak."
He continued, "The introduction of AI digital textbooks, the promotion of kindergarten integration, the crisis of students' mental health, infringement on educational activities, the declining school-age population issue, and unstable local education finance are concerns for everyone," and said, "I hope we can gather wisdom together and work jointly to solve the difficult problems facing education."
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