Gyeongnam Superintendent Paik Jonghun Proposes 'Neulbom' Gyeongnam-Style Care Model to National Assembly ... "State-Responsible Public Care Needed"

Paik Jonghun, Superintendent of Education of Gyeongnam Province, has officially proposed to the National Assembly a public care accountability system model based on the "Gyeongnam-style Care Center."

On June 16, the Gyeongnam Office of Education held the "Proposal Report Meeting on Establishing a Sustainable Public Care System" at the National Assembly Members' Office Building in Seoul. The event was co-hosted by the provincial Office of Education and Assemblywoman Ko Minjung.

At the meeting, Superintendent Paik explained several Gyeongnam-style care operation cases, including the Gyeongnam hub integrated care center "Neulbom," and requested policy support from the National Assembly, the National Education Commission, and the Ministry of Education.

Park Jonghun, Superintendent of Education of Gyeongnam Province, is speaking at the 'Proposal Report Meeting on Establishing a Sustainable Public Care System' held at the Seoul National Assembly Members' Office Building.
[Photo by Gyeongnam Office of Education]

Superintendent Paik pointed out the limitations of the current care system, stating, "The number of elementary school students in Gyeongnam has decreased by 5.3%, but the number of students participating in care services has increased by 9.1%. As a result, schools are facing a severe shortage of personnel and a surge in workload, pushing each school's capacity to its limit."

He emphasized the need for "state-responsible care that the government supports to the end" in order to overcome these limitations.

He presented four main tasks to address these challenges: ▲ establishing and legislating a national integrated care management system, ▲ building cooperation between the Office of Education and local governments, ▲ nationwide application of the three-stage standard Gyeongnam care model, and ▲ building an operational infrastructure based on national responsibility.

He particularly called for the establishment of a "central government control tower" to coordinate care policies dispersed across different ministries and the enactment of a "Special Act for Integrated Care."

He proposed legislation for a cost-sharing structure in which the central government covers 50%, while local governments and offices of education each contribute 25%. He also suggested that the national subsidy rate for areas facing potential population extinction should be increased to 70-80%.

Participants at the "Proposal Report Meeting on Establishing a Sustainable Public Care System" held at the National Assembly Members' Office Building in Seoul are taking a commemorative photo. [Photo by Gyeongnam Office of Education]

About 40 officials attended the report meeting, including Superintendent Paik, Assemblywoman Ko Minjung, National Education Commission Chair Cha Jeongin, and the Director-General of Student Support at the Ministry of Education.

The provincial Office of Education reiterated, "Care is not just a welfare service but an educational policy that supports student growth and learning," and emphasized the need for a sustainable public care system in which the local community and schools share responsibility.

They also delivered a "Policy Proposal Report" summarizing achievements to date and future tasks.

Assemblywoman Ko expressed her agreement with the Gyeongnam Office of Education's proposal to build a sustainable public care system, saying, "Through social discussion, we will do our best to ensure that every child receives high-quality care without gaps, regardless of where they live."

Chair Cha of the National Education Commission stated, "In the future, the National Education Commission will review ways to make the Gyeongnam model a mid- to long-term national policy by linking it with the National Education Development Plan."

Superintendent Paik added, "The Gyeongnam Office of Education has continuously developed the public care system based on the needs of the field. I hope today's discussion leads to a national care policy, laying the foundation for all students to receive safe and high-quality care services."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.