Gwangju Seo-gu Re-designated as a 'Lifelong Learning City' by the Ministry of Education

Published 25 Oct.2023 14:14(KST)

Seo-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City (Mayor Kim Ikang) announced on the 25th that it has been designated once again as a lifelong learning city, recognized for its achievements in the 2nd cycle lifelong learning city re-designation evaluation conducted by the Ministry of Education and the National Institute for Lifelong Education.

Exterior view of Seo-gu Office during the 8th term of the elected mayor. [Photo by Seo-gu]

Since its initial designation as a lifelong learning city in 2015, Seo-gu has secured its status and momentum as a lifelong learning city until 2026.

This evaluation was the second conducted after the 1st cycle re-designation in 2020, and it involved a comprehensive review of lifelong education projects over three years from 2020 to 2022, including ▲implementation systems ▲project operation performance ▲consideration for socially vulnerable groups and specialized cases.

Seo-gu was recognized for excellent cases such as operating programs for various socially vulnerable groups including multicultural families, people with disabilities, and educationally marginalized groups, as well as job creation linked to lifelong learning-type jobs.

Additionally, to achieve this lifelong learning city re-designation, Seo-gu established a lifelong education service work system based on the quality management system set by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and became the first in the nation to acquire ISO 9001 certification.

Subsequently, lifelong education work manuals and standards were created to establish a foundation for systematically and efficiently managing lifelong learning outcomes.

Mayor Kim Ikang of Seo-gu said, “Going forward, through the operation of Seo-gu’s unique lifelong learning brand, ‘The Largest University in the World, Seo-gu,’ we will promote various lifelong education projects where residents can learn something new and participate every day nearby, and strive to create a lifelong learning city where residents realize their self-identity and continuously develop their capabilities through learning.”