Gyeongbuk Office of Education Selects 9 Pilot Jeongju Schools for 'Hopeful Visits' Program

Four Elementary, Three Middle, and Two High Schools Selected

Gyeongbuk Office of Education (Superintendent Lim Jong-sik) announced on the 13th that it has selected nine schools in the province (four elementary, three middle, and two high schools) for the pilot operation of the Jeongju School, a regionally customized specialized education model designed to prevent students from leaving the area for educational reasons and to attract students to the region based on educational needs.

The Jeongju School is a project initiated by the Gyeongbuk Office of Education, which has established and is piloting the concept for the first time in the country. It aims to respond to the declining school-age population and changes in future society by creating conditions for educational settlement and serving as a regional hub school through regionally tailored specialized educational activities.

Gyeongbuk Office of Education

Twenty-eight elementary, middle, and high schools applied for this pilot project, and after a selection process, nine schools were chosen: Janggi Elementary School, Seonsan Elementary School, Angye Elementary School, Danchon Elementary School, Yeonghae Middle School, Janggok Middle School, Gimcheon Middle School, Gyeongbuk Mechanical and Metal High School, and Korea Pet High School.

The selected schools will focus on several key areas: the regional hub school area, which encourages local school advancement and settlement through strengthened connections between elementary, middle, and high schools and enhanced educational exchanges with nearby schools; the community-linked school area, which strengthens the establishment of a responsible education and care environment through collaboration with the local community; the glocal school area, which operates specialized Korean language classes and educational exchange programs to foster a global mindset for students with migrant backgrounds and foreign students; and the regional agreement school area, which attracts outstanding students from other provinces and abroad and encourages employment or entrepreneurship in local companies through agreements with local governments, industries, and universities.

The Gyeongbuk Office of Education plans to form a policy research group and a support team to conduct policy research based on the operational cases of each school, provide customized consulting, identify areas for improvement and support measures, and reflect these in the main project, which will be implemented for four years starting in 2026.

Lim Jong-sik, Superintendent of Gyeongbuk Office of Education, stated, "The pilot operation of Jeongju School is not just a simple change in school management; it is an important first step in creating an educational settlement environment where students can nurture their dreams without leaving for educational reasons and where new hope brings students to Gyeongbuk schools." He added, "We will spare no effort in active cooperation and support to ensure the successful establishment of this project."

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