Suwon City and Education Office Cooperation Needed for Educational Support

Suwon City held a 'Symposium for Suwon Education Development' on the 17th at Ongnuri Art Hall of the Youth Culture Center, attended by approximately 500 people including Suwon Mayor Kim Yong-seo, Hong Ki-heon, President of the Suwon City Council, and principals from various schools.

The symposium, moderated by Choi Woon-sil, Director of the Education Research Institute at Ajou University, proceeded with presentations by Kim Young-gyu, Director of the Culture and Sports Bureau, and Ha Bong-un, Professor at Gyeonggi University, followed by designated discussions from Noh Young-gwan, Committee Member of Culture and Welfare in the City Council, Lee Jang-ik, Dean of the Graduate School of Education at Ajou University, Kim In-sook, Principal of Suwon Girls' High School, Park Sang-won, Manager of Administration at Suwon Education Office, and Nam Young-sik, Chairman of the Jowon Elementary School Operations Committee.

In his presentation, Director Kim Young-gyu introduced the educational support achievements the city has pursued to create South Korea's best education-centered city and the '2010 Suwon Education Development Support Plan,' while Professor Ha Bong-un presented on 'Measures for Development of Educational Support Projects' through a comparison of educational support policies among 31 cities and counties in Gyeonggi Province.

Additionally, Professor Ha pointed out issues with the city's educational support projects, including the widening gap in educational support due to different financial levels of local governments, arbitrary decisions on the amount and purpose of educational investment, and inadequate management structures.

To resolve this, he proposed specifying the scale and purpose of subsidies in ordinances and establishing a policy coordination meeting between the city and the education office as part of building a cooperative network among industry, academia, research, and government for stable educational support.

In the ensuing designated discussion, City Council Member Noh Young-gwan stated, "It is urgent to expand support for native English teachers for global talent development, supervise the school meal system directly linked to student health, and expand public libraries."

In particular, he stressed, "We should propose a plan to directly support 50 billion won, equivalent to 5% of the city budget, to schools, and we must create a sound educational environment through strong crackdowns on and administrative sanctions against environments and establishments harmful to youth."

Ajou University's Vice President Lee Jang-in stated, "I agree with Professor Ha's recommendations and look forward to the city's proposed education development plan serving as a catalyst to overcome the crisis in public education."

Additionally, he suggested, "Along with establishing an educational policy coordination meeting with representation and expertise, we will discuss measures to strengthen school management and teachers' instructional guidance capabilities."

Separately, Suwon Girls' High School Principal Kim In-sook requested that educational policies include consideration for disadvantaged groups to prevent wealth disparity and that direct school support budgets be increased.

Park Sang-won, Manager of Administration at Suwon Education Office, stated, "According to internet survey results, the city's role accounts for 35% of organizational responsibilities for educational development, the highest proportion," and added, "We must share the awareness that the roles and responsibilities of educational finances are being divided between the superintendent and the mayor, and legal measures such as ordinance amendments are needed to ensure stable support for educational expenses."

As the final discussant, Operations Committee Chairman Nam Young-sik conveyed, "Following gratitude for the city's educational support policies for school development, we hope to maximize the appropriateness and efficiency of support through opening communication channels between school support departments and parents."