Eastern Region Education Sector: "Combining Suncheon’s Glocal and Yeosu’s Fisheries Industries to Nurture Local Talent"

The First Eastern Region Education Forum in the Era of the Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Office of Education

"Establishing a 'Suncheon-Style Educational Local Production for Local Consumption' System to Retain Outstanding Youth"

Ten Expert Proposals Including AI Meister High Schools and Career Development

With the advent of the Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Office of Education, the education sector in the eastern region—including Yeosu, Suncheon, and Gwangyang—has begun a full-fledged search for solutions to the region's most pressing issues: preventing the outflow of outstanding talent and eliminating educational disparities between different zones.

Field experts have agreed on the need to combine the region's higher education and advanced industrial resources with public education, and to ensure equal educational opportunities through a hyperconnected digital ecosystem.

According to the education sector on July 7, the K-Education Special City Preparation Committee and the Yeosu, Suncheon, and Gwangyang Education Support Offices held a joint policy forum at the Gwangyang Education Support Office under the theme "Proposing New Policies in the Era of the Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Office of Education."

The K-Education Special City Preparation Committee and Yeosu, Suncheon, and Gwangyang Education Support Offices jointly held a policy forum on the 7th. Provided by the K-Education Special City Preparation Committee

At this forum, a group of 10 elite experts—comprising local assembly members, public-private-industry-academia committee chairs, vice principals and teachers from frontline schools, and heads of parent associations—presented practical policies for establishing education strategies tailored to the eastern region, combining field experience with expertise.

Large-Scale Integration of Advanced Industries and Public Education... 'Hyperconnected Campus' Linking Small and Overcrowded Classes

In the keynote presentation, Jin Nam Kim, a member of the Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City Council (Education Committee), strongly called for the strategic cultivation of talent using future-oriented ecological resources unique to the eastern region.

Assemblyman Kim proposed, "There is a need for an integrated belt that connects Suncheon's glocal university resources with the region's outstanding assets, such as animation, aerospace, and the national garden," adding, "To retain talented youth, it is urgent to establish a 'Suncheon-style educational local production for local consumption' one-stop system, where talents nurtured in the region take root locally."

Concrete measures for building a practical, work-oriented talent development platform linked to future advanced industries were also introduced. Bang Hyun Lee, Chair of the Gwangyang Public-Private-Industry-Academia Education Cooperation Committee, insisted, "Jeonnam and Gwangju should spearhead specialized AI and semiconductor high schools (Meister High Schools), and establish a practical talent development system connected to Gwangyang’s strategic industries, including steel, hydrogen, and secondary batteries."

In the comprehensive presentation, Hyung Seok Lim, Chair of the Planning and Finance Committee at the Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City Council, drew attention by presenting an innovative digital-based model that transcends spatial limitations.

Chairman Lim ultimately proposed the establishment of a "software-centric hyperconnected educational ecosystem," where students from small rural schools in Jeonnam and students from overcrowded urban classes in Gwangju can meet and attend classes together on a virtual campus.

He further urged for fundamental elimination of educational disparities according to region and environment, specifically calling for the provision of personalized AI learning program subscriptions for students, and the enactment of ordinances to guarantee equal educational opportunities—thus advocating for institutional innovation from the starting line.

'AI·ESG Future Schools'... Addressing Rural Education Gaps

Detailed public education innovation measures to drive changes in frontline schools also attracted attention.

Seung Jae Yang, Vice Principal of Suncheon Palma Middle School, proposed the introduction of a "single-account customized career and academic history management (Full-Portfolio) system" that accumulates and manages each student’s academic progress and career counseling records. The aim is to further enhance the credibility of public education in the eastern region through systematic, data-based management.

Ja Young Park, Chair of the Gwangyang School Operations Committee Association, emphasized, "We must realize a living future education by introducing the 'Gwangyang-style AI-Converged ESG Future School Project,' where students directly analyze local issues such as fine dust and carbon emissions using AI, and derive solutions through ESG activities."

In-depth discussions were also held on measures to address educational disparities and promote cooperation within the educational community in rural and island regions that could be marginalized by city-centric administration.

Chul Min Kim, a member of the Yeosu City Council, stated, "We need to establish regional basic academic support centers to bridge academic gaps and stabilize a 'local settlement-type advancement system' by reorganizing specialized high school departments in line with the demand from the Yeosu National Industrial Complex and the fisheries industry."

Jung Yoon Jeong, Chair of the Gwangyang Parents Association, called for expanding descriptive assessments in line with the integrated office of education's policy, stating, "We need to build a 'literacy education community platform' that connects schools, parents, and local libraries, and simultaneously promote home-based reading guidance programs."

Additional voices called for support systems for teachers and parents. Yeon Tae Kim, a teacher at Yeosu Dowon Elementary School, stated, "In addition to providing 'safe experience programs' based on an integrated reservation platform with no administrative barriers, we must stabilize educational activities through family-friendly HR policies, such as allowing transfer deferrals outside the jurisdiction for staff with multiple or preschool-aged children."

Su Ji Hwang, Chair of the Yeosu Parents Association, emphasized, "We need to officially form the 'Eastern Region Parents Association Alliance,' a regional parent communication system, to jointly discuss educational issues in each zone and actively reflect parents' opinions in establishing joint educational curricula linked to future strategic industries."

Kyung Beom Kim, Chair of the Preparation Committee, stated, "This forum was a meaningful occasion to derive policies that can be immediately applied in the field in line with the launch of the integrated office of education," adding, "We will actively review the proposed tasks to ensure they are reflected as core educational policies of the Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City."

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