Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education Second Headquarters Set to Open

The establishment of the Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education's second headquarters to oversee education in northern Gyeonggi Province is now virtually confirmed.

The National Assembly's Education Committee on the 28th passed the "Amended Local Education Autonomy Act" that allows provinces with populations exceeding 8 million and more than 1.7 million students to appoint up to two vice superintendents of education, compared to the current single position.

Following the National Assembly's Legislative and Judicial Committee's vote on the 28th, the bill is scheduled to be enacted in mid-January 2005 after passing a plenary session vote to be held on the 29th and 30th.

As a result, the Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education will now be able to establish its second headquarters to effectively address the diverse regional characteristics and complex, extensive educational administration demands of northern Gyeonggi Province.

Follow-up measures including securing organizational structure and personnel positions, establishing jurisdiction, and delineating duties are being prepared for the headquarters to open in the first half of 2005.

If the related bill passes the National Assembly plenary session around the 30th, the Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education's second headquarters is planned to temporarily open at the Uijeongbu Northern Education Center next year in the first half.

The Gyeonggi Provincial Government's second headquarters, established in Uijeongbu in January 2000, handles affairs in 10 cities and counties north of the Han River, including Uijeongbu, Dongducheon, Goyang, Namyangju, Guri, and Paju, and the Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education's second headquarters is expected to similarly oversee education in the same regions.