"The Final Gamble to Prevent Regional Decline"... Wando Bets Everything on the Education Development Special Zone

All-Out Collaboration by Local Governments, Universities, and Schools:
Launching a Highly Integrated One-Team System

The Wando Office of Education and the local community have come together to address the declining school-age population and strengthen the region’s educational competitiveness.

On April 9, the Wando Office of Education announced that it held the "2026 Education Development Special Zone Pilot Area Visiting Consulting and Council Meeting" in the conference room of its main office on April 7.

This event, hosted by the School-Age Population Policy Division of the Jeonnam Provincial Office of Education and organized by the Educational Support Division of the Wando Office of Education, brought together more than 20 key stakeholders in regional education, including officials from Wando County Office, Chosun University Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation, and Wando Fisheries High School, as well as representatives from local governments and related organizations.

Wando Office of Education held the '2026 Education Development Special Zone Pilot Area Visiting Consulting and Council Meeting.' Photo by Wando Office of Education

The consulting session began with an introduction to the provincial office’s plans for operating pilot areas of the Education Development Special Zone, followed by detailed explanations regarding the management of special grants and standards for budget execution.

Participants explored strategies for implementing special zone projects that reflect the unique characteristics of the Wando region and engaged in in-depth discussions on building a sustainable cooperation system to enhance on-site execution. During the subsequent council meeting, intensive discussions focused on concrete strategies for executing special zone projects, emphasizing active interest and participation from local governments, schools, and related organizations.

Lee Cheol-young, Superintendent of Education, stated, "This consulting and council meeting will help clarify the direction of the Education Development Special Zone project and serve as an important opportunity to build an educational ecosystem in collaboration with the local community. Going forward, we will continue to closely cooperate with local governments and related organizations to steadily pursue regionally tailored education policies."

Meanwhile, the Education Development Special Zone is a project aimed at actively responding to the declining school-age population and enhancing the region’s educational competitiveness, with its core goals being the establishment of a regional cooperation model and educational innovation.

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