Jang Tae-yong tours Seonrin Elementary, Dunchon Middle and Dunchon High schools to hear concerns firsthand
Pledges to ensure school voices shape Seoul education policy and budget
Seoul Metropolitan Council member Jang Tae-yong (People Power Party, Gangdong District 6) visited a series of elementary, middle and high schools in Gangdong-gu to review educational issues including AI education, student care, career guidance and school sports.
Jang, a member of the council's education committee, toured Seonrin Elementary School, Dunchon Middle School and Dunchon High School on Wednesday, holding meetings with school officials to assess the state of educational activities and key concerns at each institution.
The visits were arranged so Jang could observe firsthand how educational activities are carried out and how students experience school life, and to incorporate school-level feedback into his legislative work.
At Seonrin Elementary, Jang reviewed the operation of after-school care programs and extracurricular classes, examining how the school is meeting the diverse educational and care needs of students and parents and gathering input on what additional support is required.
At Dunchon Middle School, he looked into AI-integrated classes, student council activities, the school's soccer team and community-linked sports and cultural programs. He focused particularly on whether the evolving educational environment was translating into meaningful changes in actual lessons and student life — not merely in the use of digital devices.
Jang also exchanged views with school officials on the support needed to run educational programs and the difficulties they face on the ground.
At Dunchon High School, he reviewed programs designed to build students' future capabilities, including a student-tailored elective curriculum, software, AI and creative convergence education, and career, college-entrance and international education initiatives.
Jang said he would continue to monitor collaborative projects linking the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, local governments and the broader community to ensure students receive education suited to their individual paths and aptitudes.
Key areas of focus at each school were after-school care and extracurricular programs at Seonrin Elementary, AI-integrated classes and student council and sports activities at Dunchon Middle, and the student-tailored curriculum and college-entrance education at Dunchon High.
"Education policy must ultimately start from how students learn and live at school," Jang said. "Since each school faces different challenges — whether in AI and digital education, student care, career guidance or sports — it is important to visit schools directly, listen and verify."
He added that he would pay close attention to local education issues "so that schools in Gangdong-gu can raise the quality of education and offer students more opportunities in a changing educational environment," and pledged to fulfill his role as an education committee member "to ensure that what I hear at schools is reflected in the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education's policies and budget, and leads to real change on the ground."
7toy7@heraldcorp.com
