Discussing Educational Issues
Striving to Realize a Ladder of Opportunity and Premium Education
Geochang County announced on April 21 that it held an education policy project meeting in the main conference room of the county office, attended by over 40 participants including the superintendent of the Geochang Office of Education, principals from local elementary, middle, and high schools, and university presidents.
During the meeting, the county explained the current status of Geochang, key educational promotion projects, support projects for elementary, middle, and high schools and students in 2025, and major university support projects. Opinions were gathered on school-specific issues and suggestions, with the aim of creating a tailored educational environment for students and enhancing competitiveness.
Currently, the county is implementing a total of 89 projects for local elementary, middle, and high school students in 2024, with a project budget of 17.453 billion won. Major projects include the construction of a multi-purpose facility at Geochang Elementary School, designation as a pilot area for a special education development zone, a tuition support project for local university students, and the expansion of the school commute taxi program, thereby laying the foundation for Geochang as a premium education city.
In addition, through the Geochang Scholarship Foundation, the county is promoting seven diverse scholarship projects totaling 1.225 billion won, including the Doodream Project (support for academy fees for low-income students), youth international exchange programs, native English assistant teacher support, and talent and aptitude program support. In May, scholarships totaling approximately 140 million won will also be awarded to around 140 outstanding local students.
Furthermore, various projects for schools and students are being carried out across all departments, such as lunchbox support during school vacations for dual-income families, youth dream voucher support, global camp operations, and student horseback riding experience support.
This meeting was held for the first time in seven years since 2018. In a lively atmosphere, participants shared a wide range of opinions on overall education policy, including the designation of Jinju National University of Education as a partner school for teaching practice, the promotion of a specialized high school through a memorandum of understanding, and support for the construction of a multi-purpose performance hall. In addition to the seven pre-submitted proposals, they discussed school environment improvement projects and the promotion of AI and robotics-related camps, as well as improvements to educational and community convenience facilities.
The county plans to thoroughly review the proposed projects and inform schools of the results. Going forward, Geochang County will continue to work actively with the Office of Education to create safe school routes for students and to establish a regionally customized educational environment.
Shin Jongkyu, superintendent of the Geochang Office of Education, stated, "I am grateful that the local government has taken the initiative to create a venue for communication with the Office of Education and schools. Going forward, the Office of Education will also listen to voices from the field and strive to implement education policies for students. We ask for continued interest and cooperation from the county so that an educational environment that attracts talent to the region can be established."
Gu Inmo, the county governor, said, "With 8,000 students out of Geochang County's population of 60,000, accounting for 13% of the total, education is both the hope and pride of the county, as well as the starting point of all projects. We will do our best to make Geochang a premium education city so that education can serve as a ladder of opportunity, and we will work to ensure that Geochang can grow through education."
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