Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, Supplementary Budget of 1.2881 Trillion Won... Focus on 'Neulbom School and Digital Education'

Digital Innovation 267.9 Billion, Neulbom Classroom 137.4 Billion
Digital Innovation Special Grant Included for the First Time This Year
Budget Reduced by 1.3 Trillion Compared to Last Year, Fiscal Tightening

The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education has allocated 1.2881 trillion KRW as the first supplementary budget of the year. This year, ahead of the full introduction of Neulbom classrooms, the budget will be primarily invested in establishing the 'Seoul-type Neulbom School' and expanding the digital education infrastructure.

On the 27th, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education announced that it will submit the '2024 First Supplementary Budget Proposal' amounting to 12.4486 trillion KRW to the Seoul Metropolitan Council, which is an increase of 1.2881 trillion KRW compared to this year's original budget of 11.1605 trillion KRW.

The supplementary budget focuses on expanding the digital education infrastructure, including the ongoing projects such as the 'Seoul-type Neulbom School' and 'AI Digital Textbooks.' Additionally, investments will be made to improve school meal preparation environments, prevent industrial accidents among workers, and enhance aging school facilities to create a better educational environment.

However, this year's budget is a tightened budget, reduced by 1.3373 trillion KRW compared to last year's final budget (including supplementary budgets).

Of the increased revenue of 1.2881 trillion KRW, 63.9% or 822.7 billion KRW comes from general funds. Special purpose funds such as special grants account for 36.1%, or 465.4 billion KRW. Among the special purpose funds, 87.3 billion KRW of the 'Digital Education Innovation Special Grant,' which is temporarily allocated by the Ministry of Education for three years from 2024 to 2026, is included in this year's supplementary budget for the first time.

Cho Hee-yeon, Superintendent of Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, is announcing the 'Support Measures for Students with Emotional and Behavioral Risks in the Classroom' on the 14th at the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Jo Yong-jun jun21@

By category, the budget includes ▲2.679 trillion KRW for digital education innovation such as building future educational environments and strengthening AI-based teaching and learning capabilities (including 56.1 billion KRW in special grants), ▲1.374 trillion KRW for establishing and operating customized Neulbom classrooms (including 33.5 billion KRW in special grants), ▲11.3 billion KRW for supporting and solidifying basic academic skills (including 7.45 billion KRW in special grants), ▲5 billion KRW for improving school meal preparation environments, and ▲a total of 5.183 trillion KRW (including 299.3 billion KRW in fund transfers) for continuing the improvement and reconstruction of aging school facilities.

In particular, to expand the digital education infrastructure, 119.3 billion KRW will be invested in 'Dibot' smart devices for 3rd and 4th grade elementary students, and 8 billion KRW for charging stations. Additionally, 73 billion KRW will be allocated for electronic blackboards, 8.7 billion KRW (digital special grants) for digital infrastructure support, and 47.4 billion KRW (digital special grants) for training to enhance digital teacher competencies.

880 billion KRW will be allocated for building elementary and special Neulbom classrooms (including teacher research rooms), and 15.9 billion KRW for the wages of temporary workers. Operating expenses for customized Neulbom classroom programs are set at 33.5 billion KRW (special grants). Furthermore, 31.2 billion KRW (digital special grants) is included for improving conditions for after-school program operations, 1.2 billion KRW for establishing the Neulbom School operational system, and 1.1 billion KRW for diversifying Neulbom School programs.

Among the additional resources, 251.6 billion KRW comes from central government transfers, including general and special grants. Local government transfers from Seoul City and autonomous districts amount to 308.7 billion KRW. The budget also includes 703.1 billion KRW carried over from the previous year, 9.8 billion KRW in self-generated income, and 14.9 billion KRW from other transfers and financial asset recoveries.

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