New Year's Address Lim Tae-hui, Gyeonggi Province Superintendent of Education

Esteemed members of the Gyeonggi education family, residents of Gyeonggi Province!

A new year of 2024 has arrived. Wishing you all abundant blessings.

As we welcome the Year of the Blue Dragon, symbolizing challenge and change, I hope you will strive toward your goals with vigor.

New Gyeonggi education has adopted 'autonomy, balance, and future' as the cornerstone of its policies and has worked tirelessly over the past year and a half toward the goal of nurturing future talent with character and competence.

Centered on school education, we have taken the lead in establishing an artificial intelligence-powered teaching and learning platform and a regional education cooperation platform.

Gyeonggi education has now completed the design and foundation of future education and is welcoming 2024 as a year of new leap and flourishing.

This year, Gyeonggi education will particularly focus on school sites and make it the inaugural year for substantive changes in classroom instruction.

In this rapidly changing society, we will concentrate all our capabilities to establish the right direction for education and enable new changes in education both inside and outside schools.

[ Academic Achievement Curriculum ]

In 2024, Gyeonggi education will make efforts toward academic improvement for all students through responsible education that guarantees basic and foundational literacy.

We will cultivate students' basic physical fitness and communication skills in a balanced manner.

We will set clear goals to be achieved through the Gyeonggi-type basic curriculum and make efforts in education that fosters future competencies through student-led learning and expansion of the IB program.

In addition, we will strengthen character education by expanding character classes by growth stage and spreading character education linked with families and local communities.

[ EduTech High-Learning ]

Gyeonggi education is distributing one smart device per student for classes suited to the era of digital transformation.

We are also building an AI teaching and learning platform called 'High-Learning' and expanding its operation through pilot applications.

This year, we will work to discover excellent teaching content from teachers and widely share it on High-Learning.

We will strengthen digital utilization competencies through AI-based one-on-one customized education for students and support their growth.

For this, the role of teachers is most important.

We will actively support teachers by investing special funds to enhance their capacity in utilizing EduTech for instruction.

[ Regional Cooperation Shared Schools ]

The Gyeonggi Province Office of Education and 25 district offices of education are expanding the scope of public education through close regional education cooperation.

To conduct educational activities together with the local community, school facility multipurposing and active facility sharing are necessary.

We will expand the fields of shared schools that students and parents desire for customized supplementary learning and region-specific specialized education.

We will strengthen the functions and roles of Gyeonggi shared schools so that students can achieve broader, deeper, and desired learning.

[ School Autonomy and Operations Improvement ]

Gyeonggi education will work to enhance the autonomy of school members so that distinctive school educational activities can be carried out.

To prepare for an unprecedented future society, the power of autonomy to solve problems on one's own is important.

We will boldly move away from the existing approach of appropriating project funds to schools and expand autonomous budgets that schools can freely allocate.

We will examine the heavy workload faced by school staff, devise improvement measures, and provide support so that schools can focus more on strengthening educational capability.

[ Teacher Rights Protection and Capacity Building ]

Last summer, there were unfortunate incidents involving teachers that pained our hearts.

As superintendent of education, I felt a heavy sense of responsibility.

The Gyeonggi Province Office of Education will fully guarantee students' right to learn.

We will do our best to allow teachers to dedicate themselves solely to student education.

The Office of Education will become a protector of teachers against unjust complaints.

We will raise the pride of school staff through legal system improvements and support for capacity building.

We will work toward education where all are happy in schools where students are respected and teachers are honored, and where rights and responsibilities are balanced.

[ Ongoing Key Tasks ]

Among the various policies designed by Gyeonggi education, there are many important tasks that require careful attention and management.

Laying the groundwork for early childhood education and care integration, operating responsible care, implementing a three-year plan to revitalize special education in Gyeonggi, strengthening customized educational support, preventing school violence and improving the operation of reconciliation mediation committees, resolving overcrowded classrooms and promoting the establishment of one district office of education per city or county—we will carefully examine all tasks facing Gyeonggi education and manage them without omission and pursue them with unwavering resolve.

Beloved members of the Gyeonggi education family, residents of Gyeonggi Province!

To create better Gyeonggi education, we all must embrace a spirit of self-change and challenge and take the lead in shaping the future flow.

In 2024, Gyeonggi education will dedicate itself to proactively responding to changes in future society, achieving change in schools, change in classrooms, and change in instruction.

I will lead the way.

I will carefully manage what to continue, what to stop, and what to do anew for Gyeonggi education.

I look forward to your continued accompaniment in the challenge and change of Gyeonggi education with the spirit of daily renewal.

I am grateful to the education family members and residents who cherish and love Gyeonggi education, and I wish you abundant health and happiness in the new year.

January 1, 2024

Lim Tae-hui, Superintendent of Education, Gyeonggi Province