One Year Since the Launch of Sejong City Office of Education's School Support Headquarters: Achievements and Plans

Superintendent Choi Kyojin: "The Nation's Leading Dedicated School Support Agency"
Director Imija: "We Will Not Neglect School Support"

Photo by Kim Giwan, Chungcheong Reporting Headquarters

The School Support Headquarters, a direct agency under the Sejong City Office of Education, has marked its first anniversary since its establishment.

On July 1, Sejong City Superintendent of Education Choi Kyojin held a press conference to explain the achievements so far and the future direction of the headquarters' operations.

The School Support Headquarters (Hakjibon) is the nation's first direct agency of its kind. With around 150 staff members led by Director Imija, it was founded under the guiding principles of "The Future in the Name of School, Companionship in the Name of Support, and Commitment in the Name of Headquarters."

On this day, Superintendent Choi stated, "As a result of operating Hakjibon to provide school-centered support, we have established a field-oriented support system to realize education activities centered on schools. We have refined projects by area and expanded the range of support recipients, actively assisting educational activities. According to a satisfaction survey on the use of dedicated school support agencies, we achieved the highest ranking nationwide."

He added, "Education policies have generally been formulated by administrative bodies such as the Ministry of Education and then implemented in schools. While this approach has been somewhat effective in accelerating policy implementation, it has also limited school autonomy and placed additional burdens on educational activities."

Therefore, the city office of education agreed that establishing a dedicated support agency was necessary to respect school autonomy, reduce burdens, and devise an efficient support system, thereby enabling schools to focus on educational activities. This was the background for the launch of Hakjibon.

Superintendent Choi explained, "Over the past year, Hakjibon has greatly expanded the range of recipients for existing projects and newly initiated more than 30 projects to support educational activities in schools. As a result, we have established a flexible support system to address difficulties that may arise in educational activities, achieving results that have drawn national attention. Satisfaction surveys on dedicated school support agencies across the country show that we have consistently achieved top-tier results."

In particular, all school staff who have used Hakjibon reported reduced administrative workload and job stress, and more than 85% responded that they had secured additional time for educational activities.

◆School Support Headquarters: Enhancing the Substance of Education-Centered Support Projects, Refining Support Methods, and Expanding the Scope of Support

Imija, the inaugural Deputy Director of the School Support Headquarters at Sejong City Office of Education, overseeing overall school support. / Photo by Kim Kiwan, Chungcheong Reporting Headquarters

Going forward, Hakjibon plans to listen to the voices of schools and further strengthen communication between the headquarters and schools. The headquarters will gather feedback from the field throughout the entire process, from project planning to feedback, and respond to the needs expressed by schools.

The headquarters aims to accurately identify and promptly support the needs of schools, seeking ways to reduce their burdens. Accordingly, it will operate projects that reflect the needs and demands of schools, systematically conduct satisfaction surveys for each project, and continuously discover new tasks.

In particular, in the second half of this year, a School Integrated Support System will be established to consolidate the previously dispersed specialized project websites into a single platform. In the second half of next year, a Complex Task Support Center will be completed to bring together the headquarters' four departments and affiliated centers, which are currently scattered, into one space.

This is expected to greatly improve accessibility for school community members, increase the efficiency of on-site support, and significantly enhance convenience for schools.

Superintendent Choi said, "It is well agreed that education should take into account the unique characteristics of each student. However, we must also reflect on how much we have considered the differences in conditions and capacities among schools. Now, educational administration must seriously consider ways to reduce disparities in conditions and capacities among schools. Hakjibon is the result of putting such considerations into practice." He continued, "Within just one year of its launch, Hakjibon has become the nation's leading dedicated school support agency in terms of both the scope of support and the capabilities of its members. Schools from across the country are visiting to learn from our support system, and the methods developed by the headquarters are serving as exemplary models for other regions."

He also pledged that the School Support Headquarters would continue to walk alongside the school field, unwaveringly, toward the future of Sejong education.

Four department heads in charge of the Education Support Department, Administrative Support Department, Reconciliation and Mediation Department, and Facility Support Department, led by Im Ja (center), the head of the headquarters. /Photo by Kim Kiwan, Chungcheong Coverage Headquarters