An Min-seok: "Children's Future Begins with Breaking Down Walls Between Education Authority and Local Government"

The Gyeonggi Province Office of Education (Superintendent An Min-seok) is holding 'regional breakfast meetings to break down walls' with 25 education support offices and 31 city and county local governments throughout the province to tear down barriers between educational administration and general administration and to resolve regional educational issues.

Beginning with the Western Region on the 24th, the provincial education office will hold breakfast meetings on the 25th for the Southern Region, the 26th for the Eastern Region, and in September for the Northern Region, with attendance from Superintendent An Min-seok, regional education directors, and mayors and county governors. The office will jointly identify cooperative tasks tailored to regional characteristics and needs, and establish implementation plans.

The first meeting, held on the 24th in the Western Region, took place at the Ansan Education Support Office. The meeting was attended by local government leaders from eight cities and counties—Anyang, Gwacheon, Gunpo, Uiwang, Siheung, Bucheon, Gwangmyeong, and Ansan—and six regional education directors.

The meeting discussed cooperation measures between education support offices and local governments centered on: △school complex facilities and opening school facilities △improving student commuting conditions △activating 'RAS Gyeonggi Arts and Physical Education' △phone-free and reading education △childcare and linkage with community resources.

Particularly significant is the shift away from the provincial education office presenting uniform projects, with education directors and city and county leaders directly identifying 'wall-breaking tasks' based on regional characteristics and student needs, and discussing implementation plans.

At the meeting, Superintendent An Min-seok stated, "Before children's issues, there cannot be separate work for the education office and local government," and added, "Education directors and mayors and county governors must meet directly to jointly solve regional education and childcare issues."

The provincial education office plans to concretize regional cooperative tasks discussed at this meeting and establish a sustainable regional education cooperation system implemented jointly by education support offices and local governments.