Jeonnam Provincial Office of Education and Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education Hold Welcome Ceremony for Rural Study Abroad Students

The Jeonnam Provincial Office of Education and the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education held a "Welcome Ceremony for Jeonnam Rural Agricultural and Fishing Village Exchange Students" on the afternoon of the 26th at the Suncheon Bay Ecological Culture Education Center. Photo by Jeonnam Provincial Office of Education

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Jun-kyung] 82 elementary and middle school students from Seoul have transferred to schools in Jeonnam to experience nature through rural study programs, which have now entered full-scale operation.

The Jeonnam Provincial Office of Education and the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education held a ‘Jeonnam Rural Study Program Student Welcome Ceremony’ on the afternoon of the 26th at the Suncheon Bay Ecological Culture Education Center, welcoming Seoul students as part of the educational family.

About 40 people attended the welcome ceremony, including Superintendent Jang Seok-ung, Superintendent Cho Hee-yeon, education office officials, rural study program participants, and parents. The event was also graced by Suncheon Mayor Heo Seok, Suncheon City Council Chairman Heo Yoo-in, Jeonnam Provincial Council Education Committee Chairman Yoo Seong-su, and many other provincial council members.

On December 7 last year, the Jeonnam Provincial Office of Education and the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education signed a memorandum of understanding to jointly promote a study program where students can receive eco-friendly education at Jeonnam schools. As a result of recruiting students from Seoul’s elementary and middle schools, 82 students decided to transfer, including 66 elementary and 16 middle school students.

Among them, the ‘family stay type,’ where the entire family moves and lives together, accounts for the largest number with 55 students; 24 students are in the ‘farmhouse type,’ living with farming families; and 3 students are in the ‘center type,’ living at the local study center.

They have been assigned to 20 schools in the Jeonnam region (13 elementary, 7 middle schools) and are scheduled to start classes with the new semester next month. The assigned schools include three each in Suncheon, Hwasun, and Gangjin; two each in Damyang, Gokseong, Yeongam, and Sinan; and one each in Jangheung, Haenam, and Jindo.

Seoul students who transferred to Jeonnam schools will live there for at least six months, receiving small-group individualized classes alongside local students. They will also receive healthy meals made from Jeonnam’s eco-friendly ingredients and grow up in villages where the ecological environment is well preserved.

After the welcome ceremony, Superintendents Jang Seok-ung and Cho Hee-yeon visited the rural study program farm, Ihwa Seodang in Suncheon, the study program operating school, Nagan Elementary School, and the farm where a study family lives to present certification plaques.

Superintendent Jang Seok-ung said in his welcome speech, “Jeonnam’s clean natural environment will provide the optimal ecological education space for Seoul students,” adding, “I hope they build friendships with Jeonnam friends here and grow into leaders of future society.”

Superintendent Cho Hee-yeon expressed gratitude, saying, “I thank the Jeonnam Provincial Office of Education for their utmost efforts and sincere preparation in promoting the rural study program,” and added, “I hope ‘city children who step on the soil’ grow into ecological citizens who create a restoration with nature.”

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