Gyeongbuk Office of Education Announces Vision and Strategies
Press Conference Highlights Response to Declining School-Age Population
On May 20, the Gyeongbuk Office of Education (Superintendent Im Jongsik) held a press conference for the "Task Force for Responding to the Decline in School-Age Population" at the Ungbi Hall of the Gyeongbuk Office of Education, announcing Gyeongbuk Education's vision and strategic response measures to address the decline in the school-age population.
This press conference was organized not only to introduce policies, but also to present mid- to long-term response strategies encompassing the entire regional educational ecosystem to both internal and external stakeholders. The Gyeongbuk Office of Education stated that it is operating an organization-wide response system centered on the task force in order to build a sustainable future education system amid changing demographic structures.
Im Jongsik, Superintendent of Gyeongbuk Education, is giving a greeting speech at the press conference of the Task Force for Responding to the Decline in School-Age Population on the 20th.
Under the vision "Children Grow Up in Gyeongbuk," the Gyeongbuk Office of Education has set three strategic goals: school reorganization, safe growth, and talent attraction. It is currently operating a response system that integrates and coordinates a total of 24 key projects.
In particular, the press conference focused on explaining the actual status of the decline in the school-age population, the establishment of an interdepartmental cooperation system, the introduction of core policies, and future directions. It was emphasized that each department is working in close cooperation to complete a control tower system centered on the task force.
In the area of "school reorganization," the main tasks are strengthening the educational capacity of small schools, realizing appropriately sized school districts, and building new, regionally customized school models, all aimed at improving the quality of education and achieving balanced development of schools simultaneously.
In the area of "safe growth," the focus is on implementing practical policies that students and parents can directly experience, such as expanding educational infrastructure, organically linking education and care, and reducing the burden of educational expenses, thereby promoting policies closely connected to daily life.
Additionally, in the area of "talent attraction," efforts are being made to foster values regarding population issues, attract international students from other provinces and abroad, and create a stable educational environment. The Gyeongbuk Office of Education is actively pursuing policies to expand the foundation for talent inflow through cooperation with the local community and global connections.
Along with operating the task force, the Gyeongbuk Office of Education is also conducting policy research activities to enhance the effectiveness of policy implementation. Ongoing representative studies include "A New School Model in the Era of Declining School-Age Population: Focusing on Settlement Schools" and "A Study on Fostering Appropriately Sized Schools According to the 2030 School-Age Population Projections in Gyeongbuk." The results of these studies will be used as key foundational data for developing mid- to long-term strategies in the future.
In June, a policy forum centered on task force practitioners will be held to share the status of policy research and implementation, and to gather a wide range of opinions from various groups. In addition, the Gyeongbuk Office of Education plans to further strengthen active participation and cooperation among all its departments.
Furthermore, in November, in conjunction with the APEC Summit, the office announced plans to host global programs such as the "K-EDU Expo" and "International Education Forum" to help build international consensus and cooperation networks for addressing population issues.
Superintendent Im Jongsik stated, "The decline in the school-age population is a critical issue that directly affects not only the education sector but also the sustainability of the region. Wise strategies and collaboration from the entire educational community are essential to address this challenge," adding, "The Gyeongbuk Office of Education will build a future-oriented and resilient education system to respond proactively and effectively to the decline in the school-age population."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
