Namhae County, Namhae Office of Education Selected as Education Innovation Leading Region; Up to KRW 10 Billion in Support

Projects worth up to KRW 2 billion annually, or KRW 10 billion over up to five years
Improve local educational environments by innovating small schools and expanding joint curricula
Linked to the Education Development Special Zone project... Full-scale implementation to begin in January 2027

Namhae County in South Gyeongsang Province and the Namhae Office of Education have been selected for the Ministry of Education’s 2027 Education Innovation Leading Region public competition and will carry out projects to improve the local educational environment.

The county said that, following its selection, it will be eligible to receive project funding of up to KRW 2 billion annually for up to five years, for a total of KRW 10 billion.

[Photo provided by Namhae County] Namhae County Governor Ryu Gyeongwan and officials from Namhae County and the Namhae Office of Education pose for a commemorative photo following the selection of their proposal for the 2027 Education Innovation Leading Region program.

The Education Innovation Leading Region project is a government policy designed to improve local educational environments through cooperation among local governments, education offices and communities, and to establish systems for fostering talent suited to local conditions.

In particular, it aims to respond to changes in local educational environments, such as declining school-age populations and an increase in small schools, and to create a foundation for students to receive an education where they live.

The Ministry of Education held the public competition for local governments nationwide from July 9 to September 30, 2026.

Of the 141 eligible regions, 130 applied, and after review, 43 were selected as Education Innovation Leading Regions for 2027.

In South Gyeongsang Province, Namhae County, Sancheong County and Tongyeong City were selected under Type 1, while Jinju City was selected under Type 2.

Type 1, under which Namhae County was selected, is for cities and counties in population-decline areas or areas of concern for population decline. Its required priority task is to build local educational ecosystems through innovation at small schools.

Accordingly, Namhae County and the Namhae Office of Education plan to focus their projects on innovation at small schools, expanding joint curricula among schools, operating educational programs tailored to local characteristics, and creating educational environments with the participation of villages and local communities.

In particular, they will explore ways to supplement curricula that individual schools find difficult to offer because of declining student numbers through cooperation among schools, and to expand programs linked to local educational resources.

Namhae County plans to link this project with its existing Education Development Special Zone project.

Over the past three years, the county has invested a total of KRW 5.56 billion in the Education Development Special Zone project. Its initiatives have included establishing a Neulbom support system centered on Aibit-teo, operating joint curricula for elementary, middle and high schools, and providing education and employment support for local talent in partnership with the Namhae Campus of Changwon National University.

Following its selection as an Education Innovation Leading Region, the county plans to develop ways to link the existing Education Development Special Zone project with the new initiative and to strengthen its cooperation framework with local educational institutions.

The selected regions will receive consulting from an expert advisory group through December 2026 to refine their operational plans, and are scheduled to begin full-scale implementation in January 2027.

The county and the Namhae Office of Education plan to draw up detailed implementation plans and develop specific educational programs and support projects involving schools and the local community.

Officials from Namhae County and the Namhae Office of Education said, "Building on the educational initiatives carried out through the existing Education Development Special Zone project, we will develop ways to improve the educational environment in line with local conditions. We will continue collaborative projects to support curriculum delivery at small schools and foster local talent."

Meanwhile, this is a mid- to long-term education project that will receive support for up to five years. The annual funding and specific project details will be finalized in accordance with future operational plans and related procedures.

To improve the results of the Education Innovation Leading Region project, it will be necessary to manage, using specific indicators, improvements to curriculum delivery at small schools and the project’s effectiveness in responding to declining school-age populations, as well as to check for overlapping investment with the existing Education Development Special Zone project.

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