Hanam City Aims for Nation's First Education Support Office... Temporary Office and Support Team in Full Swing

Hanam City in Gyeonggi Province, led by Mayor Lee Hyeon-jae, is accelerating its proactive efforts with the goal of becoming the "Nation's First Integrated Education Support Office Separation and Establishment."

Hanam City is accelerating its proactive efforts with the goal of becoming the "Nation's First Integrated Education Support Office Separation and Establishment." Lee Hyeon-jae, Mayor of Hanam City (right), is seen conversing with Lim Tae-hee, Superintendent of Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education. Provided by Hanam City

According to Hanam City on November 3, the city has set up a temporary office in the Comprehensive Welfare Town (6th floor) to ensure it is ready for immediate occupancy starting in December. The city also plans to operate a dedicated "Opening Support Team" to provide comprehensive support in areas such as personnel, administrative, and financial matters, in preparation for the separation and establishment of the nation's first integrated education support office.

This swift action follows the passage of the "Partial Amendment to the Local Education Autonomy Act," which provides the legal basis for establishing new education support offices, at the National Assembly plenary session on October 26.

Hanam City has long faced worsening overcrowded classrooms due to the rapid increase in the school-age population from the development of new towns such as Misa, Wirye, and Gam-il. However, there have been ongoing concerns that the current integrated education support office system, which is operated jointly with Gwangju, has limitations in responding quickly to these issues.

In response, Mayor Lee Hyeon-jae has made the establishment of the Hanam Education Support Office a core pledge of his eighth-term administration, showing strong determination to address educational challenges as the city's top priority.

Even during his tenure as a National Assembly member a decade ago, he consistently proposed to the Ministry of Education, the National Assembly, and the Superintendent of the Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education that the integrated education support office system would not be able to cope with Hanam's future population growth and emphasized the need for a dedicated Hanam Education Support Office.

His proposal laid the groundwork for the opening of the Hanam Education Support Center in 2020, which reflected the voices of the educational field and established an education administration model tailored to Hanam's unique characteristics.

Building on the operation of the Hanam Education Support Center, Hanam City has systematically collected feedback from the field and has continued efforts to resolve educational issues and strengthen region-specific education.

Immediately after taking office, Mayor Lee established the "Overcrowded Classrooms Task Force" as his first official approval. In October 2023, the city launched the "Hanam Education Support Office Separation and Establishment Regional Council" in cooperation with the Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education and the Gwangju Hanam Education Support Office, working to develop a roadmap for the new office.

The opening of the Hanam Education Support Office is expected to be a major turning point for region-specific education and a stepping stone for the advancement of future education in Hanam.

In addition to efforts to establish the new education support office, the city has also laid the foundation for academic improvement through various initiatives, such as high school academic achievement enhancement projects, high school specialization projects, and prestigious university campus tours. As a result, there have been tangible improvements in the educational environment, including the recent designation of Namhan High School as an Autonomous Public High School 2.0, the scheduled opening of (tentatively named) Misa 5th Middle School (to be named Hanhol Middle School) in March 2026, and the planned establishment of (tentatively named) Misa 4th High School.

Thanks to these efforts, the university admission rate for Hanam high schools has significantly improved. For the 2025 academic year, a total of 287 students were admitted to major universities, including 245 to the top 10 universities (with 69 admitted to Seoul National University, Yonsei University, and Korea University) and 42 to medical and pharmacy schools.

Mayor Lee stated, "Although Hanam is a region with rapidly increasing educational demand, it has been difficult to provide tailored responses due to the integrated administrative system. The opening of the education support office will be a turning point that fundamentally resolves local issues such as overcrowded classrooms."

He added, "We will make every effort to smoothly establish detailed plans, including amendments to enforcement ordinances and regulations, budget allocation, and organizational structure. We will also work to firmly establish Hanam's reputation as a premium education city and build a strong brand image as such."

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