An Min-seok Opens First 'Mobile Superintendent's Office' in Hwaseong and Osan...Discussion on Education Office Separation
Superintendent An Min-seok of Gyeonggi Province held the first session of the 'Mobile Superintendent's Office,' which will tour all 31 cities and counties across the province, in Hwaseong and Osan on the 17th, engaging directly with parents.
Superintendent An, along with Hwaseong-Osan Education Support Office Director Kim Young-ki, Hwaseong Special City, and Osan City, discussed high school credit system, college entrance systems, teacher rights protection, and Phone-Free and RAS (Reading, Arts, Sports) education through advance question submissions and on-site Q&A; sessions.
In particular, he emphasized 'Phone-Free and RAS Education' to reduce smartphone overdependence and expand reading, arts, and sports activities, proposing a direction to reduce field burden by linking regional cultural and sports infrastructure with schools.
Key issues for the Hwaseong area included organizing a response team for multicultural student support, the 'Exciting Baseball School' utilizing regional sports infrastructure, and strengthening vocational education at specialized high schools in connection with regional companies such as Hyundai, Kia Motors, and Samsung Electronics. He also confirmed the need for special schools and complex special education classrooms and promised to expand them.
At the afternoon town hall meeting forum, Osan Mayor Cho Yong-ho also attended, explaining plans to expand roads for creating safe school commute environments and announcing plans to operate a joint task force between the Education Support Office and local governments to address new city congestion and urban hollowing.
He promised to resolve overcrowded classrooms through the establishment of a middle school in the Segyo District and middle schools in the Busan-dong and Won-dong areas. Superintendent An emphasized, "The answer to education lies in the field," stressing the establishment of policies to solve educational issues in the field based on pragmatic approaches.
Regarding education office separation, he explained plans to proceed from September next year and expressed hope that Hwaseong and Osan would be separated first.
Superintendent An emphasized the importance of parent roles, stating that parents are precious partners in educational policy, and said he would actively support parent meetings so that they can deliberate and discuss together on the direction of Gyeonggi education.
To resolve overcrowded schools in the two regions, they also discussed ways to secure educational space through local government cooperation, including new school construction and utilization of regional educational and public facilities.
Osan Mayor Cho Yong-ho emphasized active cooperation in improving school commute conditions for student safety and breaking down barriers for educational cooperation with local governments.
Education Director Kim Young-ki stated, "We will actively cooperate with local governments, businesses, and the local community and create changes that students can feel."