Gyeonggi Province Office of Education Establishes Four Comprehensive Learning Centers

The Gyeonggi Province Office of Education announced on the 9th that it plans to establish comprehensive youth learning centers at four locations, one annually starting next year through 2010, investing approximately 20 billion won to enable students to develop various abilities while experiencing diverse cultural activities.

The comprehensive learning centers will be established by selecting and remodeling four out of seven student camping sites within the province, including those in Yeoju, Yangpyeong, Anseong, Yongin, Gimpo, Pocheon, and Yeoncheon.

The comprehensive learning centers will include existing camping facilities along with newly constructed lodging facilities, auditoriums, various experiential learning spaces, and recreational facilities.

The provincial Office of Education plans to first establish a comprehensive learning center in the eastern region of the province, such as Yeoju or Yangpyeong, next year, and will sequentially build learning centers in the northern, western, and southern regions. To this end, the office plans to finalize the location and design of the eastern region comprehensive learning center by the end of this year.

The comprehensive learning centers will have permanent staff and will support diverse experiential learning and ability development programs utilizing their own facilities or nearby facilities for students from the province who stay as school or club groups.

An official from the provincial Office of Education stated, "The installation location of the learning centers has not yet been finalized, and the project plan may be partially revised depending on circumstances," adding "However, we plan to actively establish comprehensive learning centers to secure experiential spaces that can meet students' cultural needs."