Visit follows withdrawal of Green Smart Future School project, leaving facility upgrades unfinished
Chair tours playground, gymnasium and corridors, hears from parents
Follow-up measures to be discussed with education office, budget inclusion under review
Kim Ho-jin, chair of the Seoul Metropolitan Council's Education Committee and a Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker representing Seodaemun District 2, visited Ansan Elementary School in Hongje-dong, Seodaemun-gu, to inspect aging facilities and discuss ways to improve the school's educational environment.
Kim visited the school Monday, holding a meeting with school officials, parents and representatives of the Seoul Western District Office of Education to review facility improvement issues requiring attention.
The meeting was attended by Seodaemun-gu council member Song Eun-gyeong, the school's principal and vice principal, the chair of the parents' steering committee, and the superintendent and staff of the Seoul Western District Office of Education.
Ansan Elementary School, founded in 1936, is a public school with 535 students and 49 teachers. It runs distinctive programs including arts and culture education centered on each student learning a musical instrument, as well as AI and software education tailored by grade level.
However, the withdrawal of the Green Smart Future School project left a comprehensive facility overhaul — originally planned under the initiative — incomplete, and calls to address some of the school's aging infrastructure have since grown.
Kim toured the school playground, gymnasium, walking-path stairways and indoor connecting corridors to assess facility conditions and safety management. He then heard complaints from school officials and parents and discussed improvement measures with the education office.
"School facilities are a critical foundation that determines both student safety and the quality of education," Kim said. "I will make sure the facility improvement tasks left unfinished after the withdrawal of the Green Smart Future School project are not delayed any further."
He added that he would work to ensure the concerns raised during the visit are reflected in the education office's project plans and budget review, so that meaningful improvements to the educational environment can follow.
7toy7@heraldcorp.com
