1. Introduction to the text
This article discusses the different policies of the Gyeonggi and Gwangju education boards in providing financial support for high school and middle school students. The Gyeonggi education board is giving 300,000 won to each 12th-grade student for obtaining a driver’s license or other certifications, while the Gwangju education board plans to provide 670,000 to 970,000 won in vouchers to all middle and high school students starting next year.
2. Vocabulary
| Korean Word | Romanization | English Meaning | Contextual Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 있다 | itda | to have, to exist | The Gyeonggi education board is giving 300,000 won to each 12th-grade student who has (있다) the driver’s license or other certifications. |
| 현금 | hyeonjeum | cash | The Gwangju education board plans to provide 670,000 to 970,000 won in (현금) vouchers to all middle and high school students. |
| 올해 | olhae | this year | The Gyeonggi education board’s policy will be implemented (했다) this year (올해) for all 12th-grade students. |
| 했다 | haetta | to do, to implement | The Gyeonggi education board’s policy will be implemented (했다) this year for all 12th-grade students. |
| 내년 | naenyeon | next year | The Gwangju education board plans to provide the vouchers starting (부터) next year (내년) to all middle and high school students. |
3. The main text in both Korean and English
경기도 교육청은 올해 고3 학생 12만4000명에게 개인당 30만원씩 지원한다. 이 현금은 운전면허증이나 각종 자격증을 따는 데 쓸 수 있다.
The Gyeonggi education board is giving 300,000 won to each of the 124,000 12th-grade students this year. This cash can be used for obtaining a driver’s license or other certifications.
광주교육청은 내년부터 중고교생 전체에게 1인당 67만~97만원의 바우처를 지급하기로 했다. 이 정책은 도성훈 교육감의 선거 공약이었다.
The Gwangju education board has decided to provide 670,000 to 970,000 won in vouchers to all middle and high school students starting next year. This policy was a campaign promise of Superintendent Do Seong-hun.
교육계에서는 이러한 현금 지원 정책에 대한 비판의 목소리가 나오고 있다. “현금을 뿌리느라 세금 수백억 원을 낭비하고, 이제는 악용을 막는다고 행정력까지 낭비하는 꼴이 한심하다”는 것이다.
There are criticisms in the education community about these cash support policies. They say “it is pitiful that hundreds of billions of won in taxes are being wasted by handing out cash, and now administrative resources are also being wasted to prevent abuse.”
앞으로도 교육청의 현금 지원 예산은 계속 늘어날 전망이다. 경기도와 광주의 정책은 다른 지역으로 확산될 가능성이 크다.
The education boards’ cash support budgets are expected to continue increasing going forward. The policies of Gyeonggi and Gwangju have a high chance of spreading to other regions.
지역 간 교육 격차를 줄이고자 하는 취지에서 시작된 이 정책들이지만, 현금 지원의 실효성과 부작용에 대한 우려도 제기되고 있다.
While these policies were started with the intention of reducing educational disparities between regions, concerns are also being raised about the effectiveness and side effects of the cash support.
교육청은 이러한 우려를 해소하고 정책의 효과를 높이기 위해 지속적인 노력을 기울여야 할 것으로 보인다.
The education boards seem to need to make continuous efforts to address these concerns and improve the effectiveness of the policies.
4. Reading comprehension questions
- What is the main difference between the Gyeonggi and Gwangju education boards’ policies?
- What is the purpose of the cash support policies?
- What are some of the criticisms of these cash support policies?
- How much money in total is expected to be provided by education boards across the country over 5 years?
- What is the outlook for the future of these cash support policies?
5. Cultural and historical notes
The provision of direct cash support to students by education boards is a relatively new policy in South Korea. It reflects an effort to address regional educational disparities and provide more equal opportunities, but has also drawn criticism for the high costs and potential for abuse. The expansion of these types of policies across the country will be an interesting development to follow in the coming years.