Gyeongbuk Provincial Office of Education Provides Free Textbooks for All High School Grades... 5.8 Billion KRW Invested

Expanded from 2nd-3rd Year High School Students Last Year to 3rd Year High School Students This Year

Gyeongbuk Office of Education Building Exterior.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Dong-wook] The Gyeongbuk Provincial Office of Education announced on the 4th that starting this year, it will fully cover high school textbook fees free of charge to strengthen the public nature of education and reduce the financial burden of education expenses.

With the free high school education program, which was previously applied to 2nd and 3rd-year high school students last year, expanded to include 1st-year students this year, high school students will no longer have to pay for textbooks.

The target schools include high schools under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, Meister high schools, and various other schools. Some special-purpose high schools, such as autonomous private high schools where principals set entrance fees and tuition, and foreign language high schools, are excluded.

Accordingly, approximately 64,700 high school students in the province will receive textbook fee support for the 2021 academic year. To this end, the Gyeongbuk Office of Education has allocated a budget of 5.825 billion KRW and plans to expedite the payment of textbook fees considering the economic downturn caused by COVID-19.

Lee Sang-guk, Director of the School Support Division, stated, "Through the full coverage of high school textbook fees, we expect to reduce the financial burden on parents and ensure educational equity."

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