Gyeonggi Education Office Proposes 24.7772 Trillion Won Budget for Next Year, Focusing on AI Education and School Support

The Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education submitted a 2027 main budget proposal totaling 24.7772 trillion won to the Gyeonggi Provincial Council on November 2, focusing on restoring the core purpose of education and supporting student learning activities. The proposed budget is up 1.8513 trillion won (8.1%) from the 2026 main budget, but 115.5 billion won (0.5%) lower than this year's first supplementary budget, which provided additional funding for essential programs.

The provincial education office said that although general grants increased by 1.5133 trillion won from the previous year's main budget, its actual available funds had declined due to reduced national funding for free high school education, less flexibility to draw on funds, and higher labor costs, making fiscal management difficult.

In response, it prioritized protecting student learning activities and legally mandated and essential spending, while pursuing spending cuts. It reduced operating expenses by 20% and cut all facility rental costs, among other measures, for total savings of 34.5 billion won. It also reviewed execution rates and performance and phased out 50 programs worth 154 billion won.

It also cut competitive-bid project funding by more than 50%, shifting it to programs such as block grants, and increased the budgets for autonomous projects at local education offices to expand the fiscal autonomy of schools and communities. It included as much funding as possible for student learning activities and welfare, including schools' basic operating expenses, residential experiential learning costs, and healthy snacks for young children, to address high oil prices and inflation.

Southern Office of the Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education

Under its five key policy areas, the office allocated 769.6 billion won to the "AX Education Transformation" initiative to support Phone-Free Schools, RAS Gyeonggi arts, culture and sports education centered on reading, arts and sports, and AI-based teaching and learning. It will invest 494 billion won in "Education that Protects Teachers and Revitalizes Teaching" to protect teachers' rights and strengthen their professional expertise.

It allocated 2.9522 trillion won to "Schools Where Everyone Feels Safe and Secure" to support students' emotional growth, recovery for teachers affected by harm, and Safe Edu Buses. It also allocated 2.9806 trillion won to "Education Autonomy that Fosters Independence and Adds Responsibility" to invest in schools' basic operating expenses, autonomous projects at local education offices, and the construction of new schools and kindergartens.

For "Education that Expands Opportunities for Growth by Breaking Barriers," it allocated 1.6982 trillion won to fund the Nuri Curriculum, free education and childcare, after-school programs and care, education partnerships with local governments, and internships in the education industry.

In addition, 15.8826 trillion won was allocated to shared expenses, including personnel costs and statutory contributions for education staff, as well as repayments and management costs for public-private investment projects.

Yoon Soyoung, head of the Planning and Coordination Office at the provincial education office, said, "With our actual fiscal capacity significantly reduced, we have boldly cut customary and inefficient spending and focused the savings on building students' future capabilities, including through the AI education transformation, protection of teachers' rights, and RAS Gyeonggi arts, culture and sports education."

The main budget proposal will be finalized after deliberation and approval at the 395th regular session of the Gyeonggi Provincial Council.

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