President Moon: "Full Return to School Unavoidable Delay... Must Prepare Education for the 'Post-Corona' Era"

On-site Visit to the 'Green Smart School'

President Moon Jae-in is presiding over a meeting with provincial superintendents of education on August 18 at Changdeok Girls' Middle School in Jung-gu, Seoul, regarding the promotion of the 'Green Smart School,' one of the 10 major tasks of the Korean New Deal. 2020.8.18 [Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Son Sun-hee] President Moon Jae-in visited an educational site on the 18th and said, "Our goal was to resume full in-person classes as soon as possible, but depending on the region and situation, setbacks to that goal have become inevitable," adding, "We must overcome COVID-19 together and prepare for education 'after COVID-19.'"

On the morning of the same day, President Moon visited Changdeok Girls' Middle School in Jung-gu, Seoul, stating, "The recent surge in COVID-19 cases in the metropolitan area marks a critical turning point that will determine the success or failure of our quarantine efforts." He visited the school to experience smart education related to the 'Green New Deal,' one of the two main pillars of the Korean New Deal, and to express his commitment to transforming schools into advanced institutions based on digital and eco-friendly foundations, establishing a blended online and offline educational environment.

In his opening remarks at a meeting with superintendents of education from 17 cities and provinces nationwide, President Moon said, "Schools are among the first places where the Korean New Deal should be applied," adding, "By 2025, we will convert more than 2,835 outdated school buildings into advanced schools based on digital and eco-friendly foundations, enabling blended online and offline education anytime and anywhere." He outlined key tasks including ▲establishing a smart classroom system ▲implementing 'green schools' with solar power generation and eco-friendly building materials ▲bridging the digital divide. He also announced plans to invest a total budget of 18.5 trillion won by 2025.

President Moon stated, "We will make Green Smart Schools the foundation that fundamentally changes our educational methods and social roles, leading a major transformation of regions and the nation," and added, "I hope city and provincial superintendents will take the lead, and the public will join us."

Before the meeting, President Moon visited the school's Tech Center, listened to explanations about tablet PCs used in classes, and observed an actual lesson. When a teacher asked, "Is there anything you are curious about regarding the future?" during an explanation of how the learning software 'AlgeoMath' can predict the future through graphs of functions, President Moon replied, "About the most pressing issue now, future real estate (prices)."

The event was attended by Yoo Eun-hye, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education, Cho Hee-yeon, Superintendent of Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, Choi Gyo-jin, Superintendent of Sejong City Office of Education, Yoo Ki-hong, Chairman of the National Assembly Education Committee, and 15 city and provincial superintendents participated via video conference.

President Moon Jae-in visited Changdeok Girls' Middle School in Jung-gu, Seoul, on the 18th, a site for the 'Green Smart School' project, one of the 10 major tasks of the Korean New Deal. After receiving tablets to be used in classes at the Tech Center, he moved to the classroom. August 18, 2020. Photo by Yonhap News.

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