BUSAN — Busan is launching a locally tailored education overhaul that links schools with universities and industry, centered on districts losing population.
The city said on the 22nd that it would sign a memorandum of understanding on a joint bid for the Education Innovation Pilot District program, a government-designated pilot zone scheme, with the Busan Metropolitan Office of Education, the districts of Jung, Seo, Dong, Yeongdo and Geumjeong, and local universities. The agreement is aimed at making a joint bid for the Ministry of Education's Education Innovation Pilot District program and at developing a Busan-style model for education reform.
At the center of the project are the five district governments designated as areas of population decline or areas of concern. The plan calls for narrowing education gaps in those districts while strengthening instruction tied to universities and industry, along with separate projects matched to each district's education needs and characteristics.
Universities will also take on a larger role. Kosin University, Pukyong National University, Korea Maritime and Ocean University, Dong-A University, Pusan National University and Busan University of Foreign Studies will take part, supporting specialized instruction and career exploration. The Busan Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Busan Regional Office of Oceans and Fisheries will connect local industry and marine resources to education, while the Busan Anchor Center will provide related support.
The city and the education office will jointly oversee the application and the project's rollout, while the five districts will handle locally specialized programs. The plan is to link Busan's local assets — universities, industry, the maritime sector and culture — to school education, giving students a range of career paths and growth opportunities without leaving the areas where they live.
The city plans to submit its application to the Ministry of Education by the 30th of this month. If selected, the project will begin in earnest next year. The city intends to identify models with proven results among the programs run in the five districts and expand them across Busan.
The Education Innovation Pilot District program differs from earlier education initiatives in that it treats education as a core foundation for keeping residents in place in the face of population decline. The city said it would improve conditions for students and their families to settle locally through narrower education gaps and locally tailored instruction, and over the longer term create a virtuous cycle linking education, population and the regional economy.
"We will create an education innovation model that draws on Busan's distinctive character, and we will actively support education becoming a new source of vitality for the region," Mayor Jeon Jae-soo said.
