"Customized Support for Basic Academic Skills"… Jeong Geun-sik's First Approval Launches 'Seoul Learning Diagnostic Growth Center'

Among Four Pilot Centers, the First 'Southern Learning Diagnosis and Growth Center' Opens
Expectations for Closing Learning Gaps and Ensuring Basic Academic Skills

The 'Seoul Learning Diagnosis and Growth Center,' the first approval agenda after Jeong Geun-sik's inauguration as Superintendent of Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, will officially launch on the 27th.

The Seoul Learning Diagnosis and Growth Center is a support center that provides in-depth diagnosis and customized support for students struggling with basic academic skills. It is considered one of Superintendent Jeong's key pledges aimed at closing learning gaps and ensuring basic academic skills for all students.

Jeong Geun-sik, Superintendent of Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, is delivering a greeting at the 'Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education New Year's Meeting' held on the 22nd at the Baekbeom Kim Gu Memorial Hall in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung

The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education announced on the 26th that it will open the 'Southern Learning Diagnosis and Growth Center' at Dongguro Elementary School to start its first operation. Along with the southern region, pilot operations are planned this year in four education support offices including Gangdong-Songpa, Central, and Seongbuk-Gangbuk, and by 2026, it will expand to 11 education support offices.

The opening ceremony of the Southern Learning Diagnosis and Growth Center will be attended by Superintendent Jeong, Choi Ho-kwon, Mayor of Yeongdeungpo District, Yoo Seong-hoon, Mayor of Geumcheon District, Eom Ui-sik, Acting Mayor of Guro District, and Jang Shin-ho, President of Seoul National University of Education. A business agreement will also be signed between the Metropolitan Office of Education and the districts of Guro, Geumcheon, and Yeongdeungpo. Afterwards, activities such as appointing honorary mentors for slow learners (district mayors), declaring the vision to guarantee basic academic skills for all, and holding meetings with the education community will take place.

The newly established In-depth Diagnosis Team will perform specialized testing and interpretation, and design and link individualized learning plans for students facing difficulties due to various factors such as learning functions and strategies, psychological and emotional issues, dyslexia, and borderline intelligence. Based on in-depth diagnosis, customized individual support will be strengthened, and region-specific specialized programs will be operated. The Southern Learning Diagnosis and Growth Center plans to conduct school visit in-depth diagnosis activities utilizing retired teachers through the tentative 'Visiting Learning Diagnosis Teacher' project. Additionally, mentoring linked with local institutions and volunteer learning counseling projects by university students are being prepared.

Superintendent Jeong Geun-sik stated, "Basic academic skills are not simply the starting point of learning, but an act of respecting each student and guaranteeing their fundamental rights in life," adding, "With the opening of the Southern Learning Diagnosis and Growth Center as a milestone, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education will collaborate with schools, local governments, and universities to ensure basic academic skills for all students and transition from a 'system where students adapt to education' to an 'era of customized education tailored to students.'"