Candidate Kwon Sunkie Announces Pledges Including 1 Million Won Points Program for Young Teachers

'Teacher Happiness' Through a Teacher-Customized Life Cycle Welfare Policy

Kwon Sunkie, a preliminary candidate for Superintendent of Education in Gyeongnam Province, has announced three major pledges for a 'Teacher-Customized Life Cycle Welfare Policy' aimed at revitalizing education in crisis and dramatically improving both teacher expertise and quality of life.

Kwon Soon-ki, candidate for Superintendent of Education of Gyeongnam Province. [Photo by Kwon Soon-ki]

These pledges offer comprehensive support measures that span the entire teaching career, from preventing the attrition of new teachers, to providing opportunities for mid-career teachers to recharge, and helping teachers approaching retirement design their second act in life.

◆ Retaining Millennial & Gen Z Teachers: Introduction of the 'Youth Teacher Settlement Support Points Program'

Kwon has pledged to implement the 'Youth Teacher Settlement Support Points Program,' which would provide an additional 1 million won per year in customized welfare points from the Gyeongnam Office of Education to young teachers with five or fewer years of service.

This policy is designed to prevent young teachers from leaving the profession due to the rapidly rising cost of living and increasing housing expenses.

The points provided can be widely used for health and leisure, housing stability (including linkage with rental housing), self-development, and childcare support.

◆ Recharging Mid-career and Retiring Teachers: Expansion of 'Sabbatical Year for Educational Research' and Introduction of 'Teacher Merit Training Program'

For mid-career teachers with 15 or more years of service, who play a vital role in the teaching workforce, Kwon promises to significantly expand the availability of paid sabbatical years for educational research.

The intent is to allow teachers to dedicate a year, with pay, to curriculum research and to strengthen their capabilities for future-oriented education.

In addition, a 'Teacher Merit Training Program' will be introduced for teachers one year before retirement, supporting stable retirement preparation through reemployment, social participation, and psychological recovery.

Kwon stated, "I will create a virtuous cycle where the rich experiences of teachers are fed back into the school environment."

◆ Strengthening the Emotional Safety Net: Enhanced 'Teacher Mental Health Support Service'

To respond to the growing challenges of teacher rights violations and emotional labor, a 'Comprehensive Mental Health Support System' for all teachers will be established.

Every teacher will be offered at least one mental health self-assessment and counseling opportunity per year, and support for medical expenses (up to 800,000 won per year), which was previously limited to teachers in crisis, will be expanded to cover all teachers.

In particular, a 'Dedicated Primary Care Physician System' will be introduced in collaboration with local psychiatrists, enabling prompt treatment without waiting for appointments.

To achieve this, there are plans to foster a culture of organizational healing, including operating an 'Emotional Recovery Week (Healing Week)' at the school level.

Kwon Sunkie emphasized, "When teachers are happy, students are happy; when teachers take pride in their profession, education in Gyeongnam stands strong. These pledges go beyond simple welfare and will become the core driving force to fundamentally enhance the educational competitiveness of Gyeongnam."

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