Hwaseong Special City Launches 'Phone-Free School' Initiative to Connect Schools and Communities

[News S=Reporter Cheon Ui-hyun] Hwaseong Special City in Gyeonggi Province announced on the 26th that it will cooperate with the Gyeonggi Province Office of Education's 'Phone-Free School' policy to create an educational environment that connects schools and communities.

Hwaseong Special City Mayor Jeong Myeong-geun attended the 'Hwaseong-Osan Phone-Free School Policy Briefing' held at Jangan University that day, and participated in a launching ceremony with Gyeonggi Province Superintendent of Education An Min-seok and approximately 600 participants including students, parents, and educators.

The Phone-Free School is a policy that reduces the use of smartphones unrelated to educational activities in schools and fills that time with 'RAS education'—reading, arts and culture, and sports—to support students' holistic development.

Hwaseong City, the largest student city in Gyeonggi Province, is implementing various educational projects by investing approximately 89.2 billion won in educational support budget this year. The city plans to support the policy by connecting regional educational resources including seven community centers and the Hwaseong Human Resources Development Foundation.

Mayor Jeong Myeong-geun said, "The Phone-Free School is not merely about reducing smartphone use; it is a policy where we collectively consider what learning and experiences will fill that time. We will closely link educational resources so that changes that start at schools naturally extend to homes and communities."