Jeong Geun-sik, the Superintendent of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, has unveiled the blueprint for his second term in office. The core philosophy is 'Basic Education for All,' which significantly expands the public responsibility for education, covering early childhood education, out-of-school youth, and lifelong learning. The Seoul Education Office plans to implement five policy directions that respect the growth of each student and foster cooperation within the educational community.
On September 7, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education announced that it officially received a white paper containing the education vision, policy directions, and proposals for promise implementation from the 'Happy Learning Seoul Education Committee,' which serves as the 24th Education Chief's Promise Committee. This white paper is the result of the committee's comprehensive review of various opinions from the educational community, including students, staff, parents, and citizens, gathered during the recent election process.
The committee proposed a promise implementation direction consisting of five areas, 15 commitments, and 50 detailed tasks, carefully considering the feasibility and practicality of the promises.
Redefining 'Basic Education' from Early Childhood to Lifelong Learning
The new educational vision for Jeong's second term has been confirmed as 'Basic Education for All, Happy Cooperative Education.' Here, 'basic education' transcends the traditional concept of compulsory education focused on school-age children. It encompasses early childhood education as a complete public education domain, guarantees the right to learn for out-of-school youth, and ensures comprehensive educational rights for citizens throughout their lives.
Superintendent Jeong has adopted the committee's suggestions, establishing the new educational indicators: 'Start with Precision, Build a Strong Foundation, Support Diverse Growth.' This reflects a commitment to ensuring that no one is left behind in learning by providing a fair starting point, solidifying basic academic skills and life competencies, and supporting diverse growth tailored to each student's talents and aptitudes.
Five Policy Directions: Creativity, Responsibility, Citizenship, Welfare, and Peace
The five main policy directions outlined in the white paper provide concrete solutions to the challenges currently facing Seoul's education.
First, 'Future-Oriented Holistic Education of Creativity and Empathy.' This approach aims to keep pace with the age of artificial intelligence and digital technology while ensuring that students develop 'thinking skills' and 'empathy' through diverse learning experiences, including reading, discussion, humanities, arts, and physical education.
Second, 'Responsible Education that Guarantees Learning for All.' This includes ensuring basic academic skills and respecting the different learning paces of students, while establishing a robust multi-layered safety net for learning.
Third, 'Sustainable Democratic Citizenship Education.' This involves fully integrating ecological transition education to address the climate crisis, enhancing constitutional and historical education, and building a new form of governance in Seoul education that collaborates with parents and citizens.
Fourth, 'Educational Welfare that Everyone Can Enjoy.' This includes operating a 'customized integrated support' system for students in vulnerable situations, such as multicultural students and out-of-school youth, and advancing universal educational welfare through support for public transportation costs and continued free education.
Fifth, 'Safe and Peaceful Educational Communities.' This involves strengthening programs to protect teachers' rights, boosting staff morale, and placing professional counseling personnel in all schools to promote mental health among students, fostering a peaceful school culture that transcends violence and conflict.
Superintendent Jeong: 'We Will Implement Promises Responsibly by Considering School Conditions'
The Seoul Education Office plans to use the proposals in the received white paper as a compass for future policy implementation. However, it will comprehensively review whether the individual proposals align with actual school conditions and the feasibility of securing budgets before finalizing specific implementation methods and timelines.
To this end, the education office will hold a 'citizen forum' in which students, teachers, parents, general citizens, and relevant experts can participate broadly. Through this forum, the office aims to transparently share the promise execution plan and directly listen to voices from the field, ensuring that policies are not merely theoretical but are friendly to actual school environments.
Kim Jae-hyung, chair of the Promise Committee, stated, 'We have collectively considered the direction in which Seoul education should move based on the opinions of students, staff, parents, and citizens. I hope the education vision and policy proposals prepared by the committee will be meaningfully utilized in realizing the promises of Seoul education.'
Superintendent Jeong Geun-sik expressed gratitude to the committee members for their wisdom and experience in advancing Seoul education, stating, 'I will carefully consider the opinions and suggestions of the educational community contained in the white paper and responsibly implement the promises of Seoul education by closely examining the conditions of schools and the feasibility of policies.'
* This article has been translated by AI.
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