[Provided by North Gyeongsang Provincial Office of Education]
[Provided by North Gyeongsang Provincial Office of Education]

The North Gyeongsang Provincial Office of Education joined the South Jeolla Province-Gwangju Integrated Special City Office of Education to explore student competency development and the future of reading education in the AI era.

The two offices held the "2026 Yeongnam-Honam Education Exchange Workshop" in Yeosu and Gwangju on Tuesday and Wednesday, sharing education policies and school-level experiences from both regions.

The workshop was organized to identify joint initiatives for responding to a changing education environment and to strengthen cooperation in future-oriented education.

A keynote lecture by Shin Jong-ho, a professor at Seoul National University, anchored the program, focusing on reading education as a means of cultivating future competencies in the AI era.

The two offices then presented shared agenda items and exchanged case studies and practical approaches to reading education applicable in schools.

Participants agreed that students in the AI era must develop the ability to formulate their own questions and assess the meaning and value of information independently.

The workshop also addressed the importance of lessons that encourage students to compare and analyze diverse materials and express their own ideas based on evidence.

The Yeongnam-Honam education exchange began in 2014 as a bilateral initiative between the North Gyeongsang office and the former South Jeolla Provincial Office of Education, and this year marks its 13th consecutive year.

On Wednesday, participants visited the Gwangju Student Independence Movement Memorial Hall, paying their respects at the memorial tower and reflecting on the spirit of independence and sense of community that defined the student movement.

Im Jong-sik, superintendent of the North Gyeongsang Provincial Office of Education, said the workshop was significant in that it extended the Yeongnam-Honam education exchange into a practical agenda for future education. "We will work together to find an educational direction that helps students build the capacity to ask questions, reflect, and communicate with others," Im said.


kbj7653@heraldcorp.com