Gwangmyeong City’s Lifelong Education for the Disabled and Individuals with Borderline Intellectual Disabilities Selected as Best Practices in Gyeonggi Province

"Kkum Cook" for Disabled Learners and
"Growing Together, Slowly" for Borderline Intellectual Disability Learners Selected

On October 28, Gwangmyeong City in Gyeonggi Province announced that its lifelong learning program for the disabled, "Kkum Cook," and its lifelong learning program for individuals with borderline intellectual disabilities, "Growing Together, Slowly," both received the Gyeonggi Province Governor’s Excellence Award at the "Gyeonggi-do Disabled and Borderline Intellectual Disability Lifelong Education Best Practices Presentation," hosted by the Gyeonggi Lifelong Education Promotion Agency at the Purmir Hotel in Hwaseong.

On the 28th, at the Purmir Hotel in Hwaseong, the person in charge of Gwangmyeong City's lifelong learning program for the disabled, "Kkum Cook," received an excellence award at the "Gyeonggi-do Disabled and Borderline Intellectual Disability Lifelong Education Best Practices Presentation." Provided by Gwangmyeong City

"Kkum Cook" is operated with the Gwangmyeong Disabled Persons’ Sheltered Workshop as a supporting organization, while "Growing Together, Slowly" is run with the participation of the Gwangmyeong Social Economy Social Cooperative as a supporting organization.

"Growing Together, Slowly" is a lifelong learning model linked to the social economy, where individuals with borderline intellectual disabilities and the local community collaborate to support learners’ independence. The program was highly evaluated for involving local social enterprises in identifying individuals with borderline intellectual disabilities and building a sustainable regional solidarity community.

Based on these achievements, the Gwangmyeong Social Economy Social Cooperative also signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Gyeonggi Lifelong Education Promotion Agency to promote lifelong education for individuals with borderline intellectual disabilities.

"Kkum Cook" is a program that supports the independence of people with disabilities by helping them obtain a cooking certificate. In May, this program also received the Cooperation Award and the Instructor Award at the National Cooking Contest for the Disabled.

Park Seungwon, Mayor of Gwangmyeong, stated, "As the nation’s first lifelong learning city, we will continue to identify educational blind spots so that all citizens can have access to learning opportunities," adding, "Through these efforts, we aim to create a lifelong learning city where anyone can grow and take on new challenges regardless of age."

Since declaring itself the nation’s first lifelong learning city for people with disabilities in 2018, Gwangmyeong City has been designated annually by the Ministry of Education. In November 2023, the city enacted the "Ordinance on Lifelong Education Support for Individuals with Borderline Intellectual Disabilities in Gwangmyeong City" and has been steadily promoting related support projects since last year.

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