Gyeongbuk Office of Education to Provide 170,000 Won Monthly Support to 4,700 Special Education Students... Highest Level Nationwide

Gyeongbuk Office of Education (Superintendent Lim Jong-sik) announced on the 31st that it will provide a total of approximately 9.63 billion KRW in therapy support funds to about 4,700 students eligible for special education this year, in order to enhance the effectiveness of special education, improve disabilities, and prevent secondary disabilities.

The therapy support funds provided by the Gyeongbuk Office of Education currently amount to 170,000 KRW per student per month, up to a maximum of 2.04 million KRW per year, which is the highest among the 17 metropolitan and provincial offices of education. This is expected to alleviate the financial burden on parents and provide students with high-quality therapy opportunities.

A teacher is instructing a student with special educational needs.

Therapy support for students eligible for special education is a customized service that takes into account the type and degree of the student's disability, and is selected based on a comprehensive consideration of the parents' wishes and the student's disability type.

The therapy areas eligible for support include physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, auditory training, psychological and behavioral adaptation training (psychological and behavioral therapy), sensory-motor perception training, and gait training. Students can receive support in one area that is most suitable for them.

The therapy support funds are reimbursed up to 170,000 KRW per month, and if it is difficult to use external therapy institutions, itinerant therapy services by therapists affiliated with the Special Education Support Center are provided.

Currently, there are a total of 11 therapists affiliated with the education support offices in the Gyeongbuk region responsible for itinerant therapy for students eligible for special education: two each in Pohang and Gumi, and one each in the education support offices of Gyeongju, Gimcheon, Andong, Sangju, Gyeongsan, Uiseong, and Chilgok.

Among the therapists, nine are speech therapists who support the improvement of communication skills for students with language development disorders. There are two occupational therapists, assigned to the Gyeongju and Uiseong Education Support Offices, providing sensory perception activity training, cognitive rehabilitation therapy, daily living, and vocational rehabilitation training.

Additionally, to efficiently operate the therapy support funds, the electronic payment system has been improved so that unused support funds in odd-numbered months can be used in the following even-numbered month. This ensures maximum therapy opportunities and prevents therapy costs from being concentrated at specific times, allowing students to receive continuous and stable therapy.

With the improvement in the payment method, a more flexible, demand-oriented operating system has been established, and as therapy support opportunities tailored to students' disability types and characteristics have expanded, parental satisfaction has also increased.

Lim Jong-sik, Superintendent of Gyeongbuk Office of Education, said, "We will faithfully support the individual needs of students eligible for special education to enhance the effectiveness of special education and continuously develop a therapy support service system that satisfies both students and parents."

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