Changwon Special City Holds On-Site Practical Council for Educational Development Zone

Strengthening Execution Through Project Performance Review and Improvement

On April 15, Changwon Special City in South Gyeongsang Province held the "2026 Changwon-Style Educational Development Zone Practical Council" meeting, where participants discussed ways to maximize project outcomes and enhance operation strategies as the pilot program enters its final year.

Group photo of the Education Development Special Zone Field Working Council.
Photo by Changwon City

The meeting was attended by over 20 representatives from 13 organizations, including Changwon City, Changwon Industry Promotion Agency, six specialized high schools, and five universities within the area. Participants shared this year’s project implementation plans and conducted an in-depth review of ways to strengthen inter-institutional cooperation.

The "Changwon-Style Educational Development Zone" is a regionally tailored education model where local governments, education offices, universities, and companies collaborate to cultivate talent that meets regional industrial demands, linking education with both employment and settlement. The pilot program has been underway since 2024. Notably, this year marks the final year of the pilot program, and a public competition for official designation by the Ministry of Education is scheduled to follow.

The meeting focused on the 2026 project implementation plan and cooperation requirements, pre-coordination of curricula between universities and specialized high schools, as well as challenges and improvement measures encountered during project implementation.

Changwon City aims to further refine the Educational Development Zone model this year by expanding practice-oriented education, strengthening connections between certification acquisition and employment, and advancing the performance management system.

Jung Soongil, Director-General of the Autonomous Administration Bureau, stated, "This year is a critical period, as we must ultimately demonstrate the achievements of the Educational Development Zone pilot program." He added, "We will do our utmost to ensure robust project implementation through close cooperation among organizations, so that it leads to official designation in 2027."

Meanwhile, Changwon City plans to continuously monitor project progress through regular practical council meetings and on-site consulting, and to further strengthen the regional talent development system that connects education, employment, and settlement.

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