Gangnam-gu Supports Education Expenses with 35.3 Billion KRW... Largest Among Autonomous Districts

Support for the price difference in purchasing eco-friendly rice for elementary schools, support for one instrument per student in elementary and middle schools, entrance preparation funds of 200,000 KRW for elementary and 300,000 KRW for middle and high school students, etc.

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Gangnam-gu (District Mayor Jo Seong-myeong) has secured the largest education expense budget among autonomous districts this year, allocating a total of 35.3 billion KRW. This amount is an increase of 4.1 billion KRW compared to last year, and through this budget, 24 projects in 4 areas will be operated and supported.

By project area, the budget is allocated as follows: ▲ Support for improving safe and pleasant educational environments (6.7 billion KRW) ▲ Customized school support to reduce educational gaps and revitalize public education (9 billion KRW) ▲ Cultivation of digital future talents in the era of the 4th Industrial Revolution and establishment of smart classrooms (5.5 billion KRW) ▲ Educational welfare projects such as free school meals and entrance preparation funds (14.1 billion KRW).

New projects this year include ▲ Support for the price difference in purchasing eco-friendly rice for elementary schools ▲ Support for one instrument per student in elementary and middle schools ▲ Support for elementary sports instructors. Additionally, as the educational environment shifts toward the 4th Industrial Revolution and digital focus, efforts will be strengthened such as ▲ Operation of the Gangnam Future Education Center, a hub institution for Gangnam’s science and technology education based on immersive Hwaseong content ▲ Operation of specialized programs for nurturing creative talents visiting schools ▲ Installation and operation of makerspaces.

100% district-funded support for purchasing eco-friendly rice for elementary school meals

Since March last year, free school meals have been implemented for all public and private kindergartens, expanding the target to all kindergartens, elementary, middle, high, and special schools. The free meal support is a matching project with 20% from the district, 30% from the city, and 50% from the education office. The district supports 13.1 billion KRW for 63,809 students in 115 schools within the district.

Especially from this year, to enable students to have healthier meals, the district has allocated 420 million KRW to support the purchase of eco-friendly rice for 32 elementary schools. By supporting part of the price difference compared to regular rice, the district plans to encourage schools to purchase eco-friendly rice. If the proportion of eco-friendly agricultural products purchased by schools increases and student satisfaction is high, the program will be expanded.

The aging environment of school cafeterias will also be improved. Most schools in the district were built between the 1970s and 1990s and are undergoing school environment facility improvement projects. However, since these budgets are often prioritized for learning space improvements, cafeteria environment improvements tend to be deprioritized. Therefore, a separate budget for cafeteria environment improvement has been allocated. Reflecting the opinions of an environmental monitoring advisory group composed of parents and experts, 300 million KRW will be supported for a total of six schools?two each in elementary, middle, and high schools?this year.

Support for one instrument per student in elementary and middle schools

Recently, the effectiveness of music therapy for psychological stability has gained attention, increasing the importance of music education that can achieve social skills and holistic development. In line with this social trend, the district will implement the ‘One Instrument per Student Support Project’ for 53 elementary and middle schools, supporting the purchase cost of shared instruments needed for in-school instrument performance classes (regular classes, after-school programs, clubs, etc.). Instruments such as ocarinas, janggu drums, ukuleles, danso flutes, and kalimbas will be provided according to the number of students. Applications were accepted from schools within the district until the 10th, and support will be provided after reviewing the project applications and plans for program appropriateness.

Entrance preparation funds: 200,000 KRW for elementary, 300,000 KRW for middle and high school students

Additionally, entrance preparation funds will be provided. First-year students entering elementary, middle, and high schools in 2023 can receive 200,000 KRW for elementary students and 300,000 KRW for middle and high school students. The district expanded the support target by revising the ordinance in October last year to include students entering schools outside Seoul. Applications can be submitted via email by the 23rd of this month. For detailed information such as document submission, please refer to the district office website.

Other new projects include support for physical education assistant instructors at 15 elementary schools without assigned sports instructors. Also, makerspaces where students can receive education related to the 4th Industrial Revolution such as coding, robotics, and drones will be operated in 26 schools, with plans to add two more schools this year. To establish smart classrooms, online equipment and remote class software will be supported in 80 schools.

Jo Seong-myeong, Mayor of Gangnam-gu, said, “We will create a safe and healthy educational environment through education support projects in each field,” and added, “We will do our best to make Gangnam the number one education district where children and youth grow happily.”

Dongdaemun-gu Seongil Middle School Student Lounge

Dongdaemun-gu Confirms 10 Billion KRW Education Expense Subsidy Plan for 2023

50 Billion KRW for School Customized Programs in Response to Changing Educational Environment, Total 10 Billion KRW Support

Plans to Actively Support Future-Oriented ‘Creative Talent Development Education’ and ‘Character Education’

Dongdaemun-gu (District Mayor Lee Pil-hyung) held the Dongdaemun-gu Education Expense Subsidy Deliberation Committee and finalized the plan to support 10 billion KRW in education expense subsidies for 2023.

The 2023 education expense subsidy increased by 2 billion KRW compared to the previous year, and this year, it will continue to provide full support to 27 kindergartens and 49 elementary, middle, and high schools within the district, maintaining one of the highest levels among Seoul’s autonomous districts.

To support educational projects desired by schools, the district received project applications from each school in November last year and confirmed budget support of 5.02 billion KRW for “school customized projects” such as level-based academic improvement for basic and advanced learning, customized career and college entrance programs, club activity revitalization, and enhanced education in arts and physical education specialties.

Additionally, 720 million KRW was allocated for character education and psychological counseling programs for a society of coexistence, and support for future science education projects, including math and science specialized education and metaverse education integrating the latest advanced technologies, was expanded by 547 million KRW from the previous year to a total of 970 million KRW.

Furthermore, new support will be provided for safety education to prevent various disasters and the establishment of creative convergence science laboratories where intelligent exploratory experiments can be conducted based on advanced science technology and data.

By sector, the support amounts are ▲ Academic improvement programs: 4.253 billion KRW ▲ Creative arts field: 1.338 billion KRW ▲ Future smart education field: 1.6 billion KRW ▲ Sustainable future ecological environment education: 310 million KRW ▲ Facility improvement field: 1.36 billion KRW ▲ Approximately 780 million KRW for enhancing creativity in kindergarteners, supporting teaching aids, and creating a safe educational environment.

Lee Pil-hyung, Mayor of Dongdaemun-gu, said, “In the era of the 4th Industrial Revolution, which requires creative thinking, we will actively support students to grow into talents who lead the future by overcoming fixed ideas.”

In addition to the 10 billion KRW education expense subsidy, the district plans to provide an additional 5.729 billion KRW budget to create an education environment without exclusion or discrimination, including 5.027 billion KRW for eco-friendly school meal support, 397 million KRW for entrance preparation funds for elementary, middle, and high schools, and 305 million KRW for free education for all grades in high school.

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