Hwaseong Special City Promotes 'Phone-Free Schools'... Creating Educational Environment Connecting Schools and Communities

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Cheon Ui-hyeon] Hwaseong Special City in Gyeonggi Province announced on the 26th that it will cooperate with the Gyeonggi Province Office of Education's 'Phone-Free School' policy to create an educational environment linking schools and local communities.

Hwaseong Special City Mayor Jeong Myeong-geun attended the 'Hwaseong-Osan Phone-Free School Policy Briefing' held at Jangan University on that day and participated in a proclamation ceremony with Gyeonggi Province Superintendent of Education An Min-seok and approximately 600 people including students, parents, and teachers.

Phone-Free School is a policy that reduces the use of smartphones unrelated to educational activities at schools and fills that time with 'RAS Education'—reading, arts and culture, and sports—to support students' holistic development.

Hwaseong City, the largest student city in Gyeonggi Province, is implementing various educational projects by investing approximately 89.2 billion won in educational support budget this year. The city plans to support the policy by connecting local educational resources including seven community connection centers and the Hwaseong Human Resources Development Foundation.

Mayor Jeong Myeong-geun said, "Phone-Free School is not merely about reducing smartphone use; it is a policy that reflects together on what learning and experiences will fill that time. We will closely coordinate educational resources so that changes that begin in schools naturally extend to families and local communities."