2025 Special Education Development Zone Drives Public Education Innovation
Successful Completion of 11 Local Study-Abroad Promotion Projects
On December 31, Hamyang-gun, South Gyeongsang Province, announced that it had achieved concrete results in revitalizing local study-abroad programs and strengthening educational competitiveness by focusing its administrative efforts on the education sector, such as operating a special education development zone and expanding scholarship programs, to overcome the crisis of local extinction and foster future talent.
Throughout 2025, the county has expanded projects for the special education development zone, support programs for educational institutions, and the Hamyang-gun Scholarship Foundation’s talent development initiatives, concentrating on creating a regionally tailored educational environment. As a result, the number of students transferring into local study-abroad programs has steadily increased.
As part of the special education development zone project, the county operated a 1:1 native speaker video English cyber school for approximately 300 elementary, middle, and high school students in the area, and enhanced English education competitiveness through an English competency camp in which 142 elementary students participated.
Additionally, the county ran specialized programs utilizing local resources such as Namgye Seowon and the natural environment of Daebongsan Mountain, providing 750 elementary and middle school students with opportunities to cultivate the spirit of scholars and develop nature-friendly character in an exceptional natural setting, which resulted in high satisfaction with the education provided.
Alongside these efforts, the county is working to overcome the limitations of small schools by operating joint schools in connection with small schools and offering a “one student, one art specialization” program, thereby providing unique curricula not available in other regions.
In particular, through the open school space project, the county plans to transform 12 facilities at 7 elementary and middle schools into open spaces to be used as multi-purpose cultural and sports venues shared with local residents. Efforts are also underway to improve residential conditions by renovating vacant houses and constructing rental housing in collaboration with Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH).
The Hamyang-gun Scholarship Foundation has completed its transition to a foundation and achieved its goal of raising 10 billion won in basic assets by unifying scholarship funds. The foundation has also expanded its scholarship programs to a scale of 500 million won per year, including the establishment of new scholarships for university students, thereby laying the groundwork to ease the tuition burden for students and parents from elementary through university levels.
A county official stated, “We will further strengthen cooperation with the Office of Education and continue to develop new educational programs that reflect the characteristics of the region, thereby solidifying Hamyang-gun’s customized talent development system.”
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
