Gov’t Unveils Educational Welfare Plan for Urban Low-Income Areas

Some 10 urban administrative districts where low-income families are densely populated will be designated as “educational welfare” areas, which will receive a variety of welfare benefits from the central and local governments over the next 2 to 3 years.

The government held a human resources development meeting in the morning of August 21 and introduced a ‘comprehensive educational welfare plan for urban low-income areas.’ At the meeting presided over by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education and Human Resources Lee Sang-joo, officials from ministries in charge agreed to further continue discussions to nail down the plan before the yearend.

The education ministry said after the meeting it has selected 5 or 6 areas in Seoul and is considering including 3 to 4 more areas in major cities like Pusan.

An educational welfare area will be consisted of 4 or 5 dongs (dong is an administrative term of ‘neighborhood’ in a district) that accommodate at least 10 primary, middle and high schools, or some 10,000 students, all combined.

In a move to create an educational environment led by quality teachers, school principals in a designated area will mostly be invited to serve a limited term while teachers will get incentives such as participation in training programs. Social workers will be stationed to promote interactions between parents and teachers as well as help students with extracurricular activities. A community sponsorship program will also be in place linking homes, schools and communities.

“We will provide full support for students in low-income families so that they can keep up with school work,” said the ministry. “We also plan to introduce education and rehabilitation programs in conjunction with community welfare facilities to provide more learning opportunities to young and handicapped people in the marginalized class.”

inchul@donga.com