Lee Jeongseon, Gwangju Education Superintendent Preliminary Candidate, "Reading Education, the First Step in Character Education"

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Jin-hyung] Lee Jeong-seon, a preliminary candidate for Gwangju Superintendent of Education, stated on the 24th that reading education should be strengthened to promote character education and literacy in celebration of the UNESCO-designated 'World Book and Copyright Day.'

Candidate Lee said, "The OECD has identified literacy as one of the most important competencies for future society, and one of the most effective ways to improve literacy is reading education," adding, "Reading is the best education for creativity and character."

He continued, "As exposure to YouTube and short video media increases, there is global concern about the decline in youth reading activities and literacy," and presented the problem by stating, "According to a 2020 survey by the Ministry of Education and the Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation, the percentage of students failing basic Korean language skills increased from 4.1% to 6.8% among 3rd-year middle school students and from 4.0% to 6.8% among 2nd-year high school students."

Candidate Lee proposed measures to solidify reading education and foster a reading culture from kindergarten through high school, including ▲ implementing a reading certification system after selecting book lists by school level, ▲ activating picture book reading activities for young children, ▲ developing curricula utilizing reading activities such as whole-book reading for elementary students, ▲ establishing reading clubs with teachers for middle school students, ▲ creating Book Streets and operating the Bitgoeul Book Festival, ▲ offering humanities lectures linked with youth humanities metaverse, ▲ organizing themed reading trips, ▲ expanding electronic library services, and ▲ managing reading histories using AI.

In conclusion, he emphasized, "Through reading, we gain diverse knowledge and life wisdom, and when accompanied by a cup of tea, we also experience wonderful healing joy," adding, "We must create a reading education environment and operate programs that can spark interest in reading among our children living in the digital age."

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