Sejong City Council Member Yoon Jisung: "English Can Be Innovatively Mastered Through Public Education Alone"

Proposing "Daily Implementation of English Education Measures Within Schools"

Yoon Jisung, a member of the Sejong City Council, is delivering a 5-minute free speech.
Photo by Office of Public Relations Planning Team

On October 24, Yoon Jisung, a member of the Sejong City Council, pointed out during the 101st extraordinary session’s second plenary meeting that public education in English is currently failing to sufficiently develop students’ core competencies. He called for the establishment of practical improvement measures that can be implemented daily within schools.

Assemblyman Yoon diagnosed the issue by stating, "In the current curriculum, elementary English classes are limited to only two to three hours per week, making it difficult to build real proficiency. As a result, dependence on private education increases, and regional disparities widen."

Accordingly, he proposed classroom-centered improvements rather than costly experiential facilities, including: a complete overhaul of after-school programs into activity-based formats such as play, role-playing, and English news, with priority support for town and township areas; shifting the practical educational goal to speaking 10 sentences a day and expanding teacher training; introducing five-minute English listening broadcasts in the morning and at lunchtime; running English reading challenges based on short books and webtoons; and regularizing English diary writing and presentations.

In particular, Assemblyman Yoon called for immediate implementation of measures such as building a pool of after-school instructors, expanding teacher training focused on speaking, and providing financial support to ensure principals’ choice and school autonomy. He emphasized the direction of educational change by presenting the slogan: "Not English academies, but English classrooms; after-school programs that help students start speaking English; and in Sejong, public education is enough for English."

Assemblyman Yoon concluded, "The English confidence built together by our schools, teachers, and students is fully achievable within public education," urging citizens and the Sejong education community to show interest and participate.