191 parents, teachers and staff from 24 elementary, middle and high schools took part in the roundtables, raising concerns over aging facilities, commute safety and academic programs. The district will channel a third round of education subsidies into urgent repairs and gradually expand support.
Yeongdeungpo-gu is moving to improve its educational environment by incorporating feedback gathered directly from schools into district policy.
The district office said it has wrapped up a series of parent communication roundtables held at 24 elementary, middle and high schools in the area since August, and will now pursue concrete support measures based on the requests submitted by each school.
Yeongdeungpo-gu District Mayor Cho Yu-jin attended the sessions in person, discussing educational issues with parents, teachers and other school staff. A total of 191 people participated across the 24 schools, offering a wide range of views reflecting each school's circumstances.
The main requests centered on upgrading aging school facilities, improving safety along commute routes and expanding educational program support.
The district is reviewing the feedback with relevant departments and moving quickly to address items that can be acted on immediately.
Facility improvements directly tied to student safety and learning — including repairs to aging elevators, remodeling of specialized classrooms and installation of electronic whiteboards — are set to be funded through a third round of education subsidies before the end of the year. The district also plans to gradually expand the overall scale of education subsidy support to help schools improve their learning environments.
Steps to make students' commutes safer are also under way.
To address smoking near school grounds, the district has posted no-smoking banners and stepped up enforcement patrols. Problems with pet waste causing odors and hygiene concerns have been tackled by cleaning up affected areas and installing warning signs.
At crosswalks where students face traffic risks on their way to school, the district is considering installing blind-spot alert devices to help drivers spot pedestrians more easily.
The district and schools will also expand joint educational programs to support students' career exploration and college preparation. Plans call for offering students a broader range of opportunities through events including a youth club career festival, a high school admissions fair, college entrance exam lectures and university regular-admissions information sessions.
The district said it intends to treat the roundtable series not as a one-off exercise but as an ongoing channel for bringing school-level voices into district policymaking.
"It was a meaningful occasion to bring the real voices of the educational community into district policy," District Mayor Cho said. "We will work closely with the relevant departments to make sure the feedback translates into tangible change at schools."
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