"Local Schools Free from Private Education Burden" Project: Pohang, Sangju, Yeongcheon, and Ulleung in Gyeongbuk Finally Selected

Developing Solutions Tailored to Local Needs

The Gyeongbuk Office of Education (Superintendent Lim Jong-sik) announced on October 16 that four locations-Pohang, Sangju, Yeongcheon, and Ulleung-were finally selected in the second round of the "Local Schools Free from Private Education Burden" project, organized by the Ministry of Education.

This project aims to develop and spread various models to reduce private education costs tailored to the conditions of each region. Since September last year, the Gyeongbuk Office of Education has been proactively leading the project in Gumi and Uljin, which were selected in the first round.

Gyeongbuk Office of Education

For this second round, the Gyeongbuk Office of Education submitted an operational plan for local schools free from private education burden to the Ministry of Education, after a consultation process with the Private Education Reduction Task Force to enhance the effectiveness and impact of the initiative. As a result, Pohang, Sangju, Yeongcheon, and Ulleung were selected.

The selected regions will implement the project from October 2025 to February 2026, in line with the operation period of the Special Educational Development Zones, with a total budget of 1.2 billion won. Each region will autonomously select target school grades or local districts (towns, townships, neighborhoods) according to their circumstances.

Pohang will focus on the "Pohang Haebom Practice Project," providing tailored, intensive support by grade and subject according to the conditions of each school. Through the "Pohang Haebom Practice School" contest, the project will closely support educational activities at schools, operate career and college entrance programs in cooperation with local universities tailored to the characteristics of each school type-including general high schools, special-purpose high schools, and vocational high schools-and expand opportunities for students to explore career paths.

Sangju aims for "Imagination-Led Education Free from Private Education Burden" by establishing an educational platform that connects the local community, universities, and village schools. In particular, to provide high-quality arts education, Sangju will run instrument classes and children's choir classes. It will also support talent and aptitude programs, as well as creative after-school play programs for socially disadvantaged students, realizing customized educational welfare for the region.

Yeongcheon, with its vision of "Stay-School That Guarantees the Present and Future," will spread a self-directed learning culture centered on all-day Neulbom classes linked with the local community. The region will also support science experiences, youth career exploration, and college entrance planning through the "Starlight Joint Education" program, which leverages local characteristics. Yeongcheon plans to lead public education innovation through school branding and specialized education.

Ulleung, with the vision of "Achieving Happiness in the Educational Community with the Power of Ulleung," will strengthen student achievement, teacher expertise in instruction, communication with parents, and cooperation with the local community. The region will operate customized self-directed learning programs using EBS, run lesson study learning communities, organize family camps to boost learning motivation, and operate a mathematics competency support center to increase students' motivation and sense of achievement.

Lim Jong-sik, Superintendent of the Gyeongbuk Office of Education, stated, "We will actively develop strategies to reduce private education expenses suited to the conditions and realities of Gyeongbuk, and strengthen cooperation with the local community so that possibilities and sustainability can be realized through education in the warm home where we live."

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