Seoul Autonomous Public High Schools to Be Uniformly Converted to General High Schools Starting Next Year

8 Schools Early Transition
10 Schools in February Next Year
Total 18 Schools to General High Schools

Provided by Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunju Lee] Autonomous public high schools (Jagoggo) in the Seoul area will be uniformly converted into general high schools starting next year.

The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education announced on the 28th that 18 Jagoggo schools will be operated as general high schools.

Jagoggo were introduced to enhance the educational capacity of general public high schools. The aim was to specialize and diversify curricula and programs to improve the educational quality of general public high schools. In the case of the Seoul Office of Education, schools in poor surrounding environments or with unfavorable educational conditions have been designated since 2010. Nationwide, there are 107 Jagoggo across 14 metropolitan cities and provinces, with Seoul having the most.

Since 2013, as the educational capacity of general high schools has strengthened, the distinction between Jagoggo and general high schools has become minimal. In particular, the Ministry of Education revised the Enforcement Decree of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act related to Jagoggo in February this year, eliminating the legal basis for operating Jagoggo.

Accordingly, the Seoul Office of Education confirmed early conversion for eight schools including Guhyeon High School and Dangok High School through meetings with Jagoggo principals and expert policy councils, and decided to terminate the remaining Jagoggo by February 2021.

To ensure a stable transition to general high schools, the existing teacher personnel principles will be temporarily maintained, and the Seoul Office of Education plans to provide multifaceted support such as strengthening customized curriculum consulting for students during the transition period, operating curricula through budgets for enhancing general high school capabilities, and budgets for equipment.

Currently enrolled students will maintain their status as Jagoggo students until graduation.

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