"No Age Limit to Learning!" Hapcheon-gun Expands Literacy Classes for Illiterate and Low-Literacy Seniors

Recognition System for Elementary and Middle School Education Targeting an Average Age of 75 at 7 Locations

A literacy class for the elderly.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Choi Soon-kyung] Hapcheon-gun, Gyeongnam Province, is expanding the operation of literacy classes recognized as academic credits for elderly people who are illiterate or have low educational attainment.

On the 18th, Hapcheon-gun announced that it will significantly increase the number of classes from one elementary-level class to a total of seven classes, including classes recognized as middle school level.

The literacy classes recognized as academic credits, operated for lifelong education purposes, go beyond the existing adult literacy classes at the village-level Korean language classrooms. The classes follow a three-year curriculum focusing on basic subjects taught in actual school classrooms by grade.

Elementary-level students must complete 240 hours annually, and middle school-level students must complete 450 hours annually. Those who complete the entire three-year course are recognized as having equivalent academic ability by the Superintendent of Education of Gyeongnam.

The program was first introduced in 2018 for residents of the county, and this year produced its first seven graduates.

Until now, education was mainly conducted in Hapcheon-eup, so residents in the myeon (township) areas did not equally benefit.

In October 2021, five classrooms were designated for the elementary-level classes, including four regional locations and one classroom for the hearing impaired. For the middle school-level classes, two classrooms were applied for to the Gyeongnam Office of Education, including one at the Lifelong Learning Center and one at Myosan Middle School, and all were accepted in February this year.

Starting this year, classes will be held from March in five classrooms, excluding the northern and central elementary-level classes that could not operate due to a lack of students, and the curriculum will continue for the next three years.

County Governor Moon Jun-hee said, “Many in the older generation had to drop out of school for economic reasons, but the county plans to open academic credit-recognized classes by region to satisfy the desire for learning.”

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