Busan to Provide 100,000 Won Education Disaster Relief... Free Education and Meals Implemented

Busan Office of Education to Provide 100,000 KRW Education Disaster Support Fund to Elementary, Middle, High, and Special Needs Students
City Council Approves Supplementary Budget... 307,000 Students to Receive School Banking Transfers
Free Educatio

Busan Metropolitan Office of Education Building.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yong-woo] A plan to provide 100,000 KRW in educational disaster relief funds to all elementary, middle, and high school students in the Busan area has been finalized. Additionally, free education and free school meals will be implemented six months earlier, starting from the second semester of this year.

On the 29th, the Busan Metropolitan Office of Education announced that following the approval of the supplementary budget bill at the Busan City Council plenary session, 100,000 KRW in educational disaster relief funds will be provided on the 30th to approximately 307,500 elementary, middle, high, and special education students in the Busan area to alleviate the economic burden on parents caused by COVID-19 and to revitalize the local economy.

The Office of Education will transfer 100,000 KRW in cash to students' school banking accounts, and for guardians and students who do not use school banking, the funds will be paid into their personal accounts.

A total of 30.79 billion KRW was secured from the education office's own budget, including 15.68 billion KRW in unused meal fees due to the postponement of in-person classes and 15.182 billion KRW from the education office's contingency funds.

Free education and free school meals for high schools will also be implemented six months earlier than originally planned, starting from the second semester of this year.

Free education will be supported with 14 billion KRW from the office's own budget for 23,054 first-year students at 134 public and private high schools. This will result in an average tuition reduction of 840,000 KRW per student for one semester.

Free school meals will be supported with 7 billion KRW from the office's own budget for 20,349 third-year students at 134 public and private high schools. Each student will benefit by 344,000 KRW.

Thus, free education and free school meals for elementary, middle, and high schools in the Busan area will be fully implemented starting from the second semester.

Prior to this, on May 12, the Office of Education held a joint press conference with the Busan City Council at the Busan City Council briefing room, agreeing to provide educational disaster relief funds and support for first-year high school tuition and third-year high school meal fees six months earlier than originally planned.

On June 10, the 'Busan Metropolitan Office of Education Educational Disaster Relief Fund Support Ordinance' was enacted and promulgated to prepare for the prompt payment of educational disaster relief funds.

On the 29th, the Busan City Council approved the '2020 2nd Supplementary Budget for the Busan Metropolitan Office of Education Special Account for Education Revenue and Expenditure' totaling 404.6 billion KRW, including the educational disaster relief funds, at the 4th plenary session of the 287th regular meeting.

Kim Seok-jun, Superintendent of the Busan Metropolitan Office of Education, said, "We have prepared support measures such as educational disaster relief funds to ease the burden on parents who are struggling due to COVID-19. We will do our best to overcome COVID-19 as soon as possible and make Busan a great place to raise children."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.