Hanam City Holds Roundtable with Elementary Parent Associations and Committees... "Strengthening Educational Support and Communication"

Lee Hyunjae, mayor of Hanam City, held extensive discussions on educational issues with members of parent associations and school operation committees from local elementary schools, explaining the current status of educational support and listening to a wide range of opinions on educational programs.

Lee Hyunjae, mayor of Hanam City, is meeting with parent association and school operation committee members of local elementary schools to explain the current status of educational support. Provided by Hanam City

According to Hanam City on April 29, the "2025 Elementary School Parent Association and School Operation Committee Roundtable" was held on April 28 in the city hall's main conference room, with more than 50 participants, including representatives of elementary school parent associations and school operation committees, as well as officials from the Gwangju Hanam Office of Education.

This roundtable was organized to establish a channel for communication on major educational issues and to listen to suggestions from parents and schools in order to reflect them in city policy.

On this day, Hanam City first introduced its educational support projects for local elementary schools.

This year, Hanam City is implementing nine subsidy support projects for elementary schools, investing a total budget of 9.4 billion KRW to strengthen elementary students' competencies. These projects include school-specific programs, support for native English-speaking assistant teachers, operation of school security officers, improvement of school facility environments, and support for free meals and after-school care classrooms.

In addition, the city introduced various initiatives to improve the overall educational environment, such as campus tours of major universities in Seoul, corporate experience programs with companies like Hyundai Motor and Kia, the Walking School Bus program, and the Hanam-style school zone initiative.

During the subsequent open discussion, representatives of parent associations and school operation committees, officials from the Gwangju Hanam Office of Education, and Hanam City Hall exchanged a variety of opinions and discussed solutions. Topics included the need for thorough safety measures during the construction or expansion of schools, requests to increase school janitorial staff, and requests to address inconveniences related to crosswalks and traffic signals around schools.

Since 2022, Hanam City has institutionalized regular roundtable meetings with parent associations and school operation committees from elementary, middle, and high schools. Based on the feedback gathered through these meetings, the city has contributed to the advancement of education in Hanam, including improvements to educational systems and the creation of a safe school commute environment.

Mayor Lee Hyunjae emphasized, "Hanam City is striving to create an educational environment where students can develop their abilities according to their talents and aptitudes, in order to enhance the city's brand value," adding, "We will continue to provide full support to make Hanam a city where both students and parents can be happy."