Jeonnam Office of Education Proposes Five Major Policies for 'Grand Transformation in Education'... Seeks Inclusion in Presidential Campaign Pledges

Responding to the Crisis of Regional Extinction
Policy Reform Proposals

The Jeonnam Provincial Office of Education has launched a major shift in educational policy to address the declining school-age population and the crisis of regional extinction ahead of the 21st presidential election.

On the morning of April 24, the office finalized the "Korea Education Grand Transformation Policy Agenda" during a planning and coordination meeting. This agenda includes five key tasks: ▲improving the college admissions system and restructuring the university system, ▲introducing a basic teacher quota system, ▲expanding student education allowances nationwide, ▲establishing a "K-Edu Center," and ▲founding an international vocational high school. The office decided to officially propose these policies to each political party and presidential candidate.

Jeonnam Provincial Office of Education

This policy agenda reflects the realities of a rapidly declining school-age population and the threat of regional extinction, calling for a comprehensive transformation of the education system?from admissions reform and teacher policy to educational welfare and nurturing future talent.

The first task is to improve the college admissions system and restructure the university system to promote balanced regional development. The Jeonnam Provincial Office of Education emphasized the need to foster regional national universities and reform the CSAT system to eliminate the hierarchy among universities. The office also stressed the importance of alleviating excessive competition in college admissions and preventing the outflow of talent to the Seoul metropolitan area by ensuring balanced distribution of educational funding.

The second task is to introduce a basic teacher quota system and cultivate region-specific teachers. This involves guaranteeing stable teacher placement even in small schools and granting superintendents greater autonomy so that teachers can be trained and hired locally according to the specific needs of each region. The third task is to expand the student education allowance nationwide. This system, first implemented by the Jeonnam Provincial Office of Education, guarantees every student's right to learn through a basic education income. It is expected to provide stable support for self-directed learning and financial education, especially for students in rural areas and regions at risk of extinction.

The fourth task is to establish a "K-Edu Center" to lead glocal education. The K-Edu strategy, which combines the region's unique educational assets with world-class educational technology, aims to foster Jeonnam as a hub of "glocal education" and present a new direction for education in Korea. The final task is to establish an international vocational high school to nurture glocal talent. This strategy seeks to respond to a multicultural society and address regional extinction by attracting international students, with the vision of local youth and international students growing together and laying the foundation for a multicultural, coexistent society.

Kim Daejung, Superintendent of the Jeonnam Provincial Office of Education, stated, "We are living in an era of great transformation, and education must be at its center. National-level decisions and policy support are urgently needed so that the glocal education that began in Jeonnam can spread throughout Korea."

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