Ministry of Education Confirms Six Key National Policy Tasks Including Intensive Fostering of Ten Seoul National University-Level Flagship Universities

Choi Kyojin: "We Will Closely Cooperate with the Education Field and Related Ministries for Implementation"

The Yoon Suk-yeol administration's signature education pledge, the so-called "Creating 10 Seoul National Universities," has been confirmed as a national policy task and will be actively pursued.

The Ministry of Education announced on the 17th that among the 123 major national policy tasks confirmed at the Cabinet meeting held on the 16th, six key tasks and 25 action items overseen by the Ministry of Education have been included.

First, to mitigate the university hierarchy centered on the Seoul metropolitan area and achieve balanced national growth, the Ministry of Education will promote strategic investment in regional universities and enhance educational capacity and growth in local areas. In addition, to fulfill the "Creating 10 Seoul National Universities" pledge, which aims to foster flagship national universities as education and research hubs driving regionally-led technological growth, the Ministry will support undergraduate education innovation and strengthen research competitiveness by providing comprehensive support for undergraduate, graduate, and research institutes.

In particular, the Ministry plans to introduce a new "National Distinguished Professors" system to select top-level professors, allowing exceptions to the mandatory retirement age of 65 at national, public, and private universities, and to provide the highest level of research support.

Through the Regional Innovation-led University Support System (RISE), regional universities will be specialized in nurturing talent and research and development (R&D) linked to local strategic industries, and the Ministry will support talent development in strategic industrial sectors in line with the reorganization of the five major regions and three special administrative systems.

Additionally, in cooperation with related ministries, the government will expand job opportunities for youth, stabilize housing, and increase scholarship support.

The number of recipients of the Humanities 100-Year Scholarship, awarded to outstanding students in the humanities and social sciences, will be increased from 1,500 this year to 2,000 next year, and support for the Hope Ladder Scholarship Type 2 will be expanded from 4,000 to 5,000 cases during the same period.

To ensure that everyone in Korea can easily utilize artificial intelligence (AI), the Ministry will support AI education for elementary, middle, and high school students as well as adults.

For elementary, middle, and high school students, the Ministry will strengthen school AI education by enhancing convergence education and ensuring systematic AI learning. For university and graduate students, AI convergence education programs will be expanded, and the Ministry will foster specialized talent to help Korea become one of the world's top three AI powers.

A national talent map will be created to monitor the status of AI talent domestically and internationally, and a National Talent Committee will be established and operated as the control tower for national talent policy.

Strengthening public education to bridge educational gaps has also been included as a national policy task.

The Ministry of Education will expand the number of leading schools for basic academic achievement so that support can be tailored to each student's level and will increase the number of dedicated learning support teachers.

In addition, the government will gradually implement free education and childcare for children aged 3 to 5 and promote government-led integration of early childhood education and care.

To help students develop the holistic competencies required as members of a democratic society, the Ministry will promote school-based civic education, history education, school culture and arts education, physical education, and economic, financial, and labor education tailored to each stage of life.

Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Education Choi Kyojin stated, "Education is the key driver that firmly supports the happy growth and learning of our children and youth, and leads the country's sustainable development," adding, "To ensure the successful implementation of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration's national education policy tasks, we will actively communicate with the education field as policy stakeholders and work closely with provincial and city education offices, universities, the National Education Commission, and related ministries."

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