Students receive diving instruction through a local facility partnership run by the Uljin Education Support Office. [North Gyeongsang Provincial Office of Education]
Students receive diving instruction through a local facility partnership run by the Uljin Education Support Office. [North Gyeongsang Provincial Office of Education]

The North Gyeongsang Provincial Office of Education said Wednesday it will operate its "private tutoring-free community and school" program across five areas: Pohang, Gumi, Yeongcheon, Sangju and Uljin-gun.

The program, which began in 2025, runs through February 2027. Each of the five areas will receive 200 million won ($130,000) in funding this year.

Key initiatives include creating self-directed learning spaces and tailored programs to build a public-education-centered learning environment, supporting student development through career education and hands-on programs linked to local resources, and expanding after-school activities to better meet student needs.

Pohang will operate public learning centers at two general high schools in Buk-gu, a district with a high concentration of private tutoring facilities, under the vision of "reducing private education costs through the Pohang Haebom practice project."

Gumi will run a self-directed learning center for high school students in areas with limited access to private tutoring, combining academic support and coaching under the banner of "companion education where students lead their own lives."

Yeongcheon will offer one-on-one student mentoring to ease families' private tutoring costs and improve students' foundational academic skills, under the vision of "Stay-School, securing the present and the future."

Sangju, aiming for "future education free from private tutoring costs," will provide high-quality arts education, including instrument classes, a boys and girls choir and support for orchestra performances.

Uljin-gun will pursue marine experience programs in partnership with the Uljin Ocean Leisure Sports Center and an English learning and sharing festival, working toward its vision of "a happy community free from private tutoring burdens."

The district also plans to partner with local institutions, including Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, to support experiential learning, and will run a community education program called "Ieum" aimed at shifting parental attitudes toward public education.

"We will devote ourselves to developing and operating trusted strategies and tailored models to reduce reliance on private tutoring, reflecting the diverse educational conditions and realities of the North Gyeongsang region," said Im Jong-sik, superintendent of the North Gyeongsang Provincial Office of Education. "We will strengthen cooperation with local communities so that students can receive stable, high-quality education in the areas where they live."


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