Pilot Operation of Nowon Senior Happiness University

Establishing a Systematic Customized Education System for Seniors through Agreement with Korea Bible University

Conducted as an Intensive Course (5-day course) and Advanced Course, Registration Starts from the 19th and 26th

Credit System Operation, University Professors Lecturing, Graduation Ceremony Events, and Differentiated Management to Meet Various Needs

Nowon-gu (Mayor Oh Seung-rok) announced that it will pilot the operation of the 'Nowon Senior Happiness University' for seniors aged 60 and over.

The existing 'Senior Academy' was sporadically conducted at 14 locations within the district, with many overlapping and simple educational programs. Moreover, only five locations were operating after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Accordingly, the district has taken steps to establish a stable and systematic system by utilizing specialized educational institutions.

The district is piloting senior specialized program courses through an agreement with Korea Bible University. This aims to enhance the quality of education, satisfy seniors' learning desires, and provide continuous customized education.

The Senior Happiness University is characterized by being operated on a credit system like a regular university. Each course has a set number of credits for completion, and a graduation ceremony is held for seniors who earn a certain number of credits. In particular, health management and foreign language courses are taught by professional university professors, ensuring high-quality classes.

The educational programs will be conducted in two formats from July: an intensive course and an advanced course.

The intensive course is designed as a comprehensive class to allow participants to take various courses in a short period (5-day course). It includes a total of nine courses such as Ukulele Music Class, English through Pop Songs & Movies, Digital Skills in Your Hands, Nutrition Management & Baking, and more.

The advanced course is divided into digital informatization, health management, foreign language utilization, and leisure utilization, with a total of ten courses offered as single-subject classes. Various programs such as Personal Information Protection and Voice Phishing Prevention, I am also a YouTuber, Mind Therapy, Everyday and Travel English, and Total Crafts are conducted in 2 to 4 sessions, each lasting 2 hours.

Any senior aged 60 or older can apply for the programs, and the tuition is free.

Registration for the intensive course starts on the 19th, and for the advanced course on the 26th. Detailed information on each course can be found on the Korea Bible University Lifelong Education Center or Nowon-gu Office website.

Based on the pilot operation, the district plans to expand the number of participants and course subjects next year, reflecting seniors' diverse needs with courses in humanities such as history and philosophy, and qualification exam preparation courses.

Additionally, more local base spaces such as community centers and libraries will be selected to help seniors attend quality classes nearby.

The district will open a new concept senior welfare center on July 7 to respond to seniors' diverse welfare needs by linking education, counseling, hobbies, and jobs. The center is located within the Sanggye Administrative Complex Town near Madeul Station in Sanggye-dong, with a total floor area of 4,359㎡ across one basement and five floors.

The center will include a health counseling room, billiards room, table tennis room, karaoke room, movie and music room, informatization learning center, senior cafeteria, and job counseling agency. Notably, a Senior Counseling Center will be established on the fourth floor of the welfare center. It will be a specialized counseling institution operated directly by the district to address senior issues such as suicide, depression, and sexual problems.

Mayor Oh Seung-rok said, “Nowon-gu is on the verge of becoming a super-aged society. We will actively strive to meet seniors' diverse learning needs through systematic system establishment and differentiated management.”

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