The Ministry of Education and the Educational Broadcasting System (EBS) announced on September 30 that they will run the “Together at School, Walking Together in Heart” campaign from October 1 to November 30, with the participation of students, teachers, and parents. The campaign aims to foster a school culture where the educational community builds mutual trust and respect and communicates in a healthy manner.
In the first half of the year, the Ministry of Education also ran initiatives such as the “May Gratitude: Together at School Stories” contest, “Heart-to-Heart: Running Together,” and “Heart-to-Heart: Club Activities Together” through the “Together at School” website. The second-half campaign will be conducted in four categories—National School Pride, “Heart-to-Heart: Reading Together,” the “100-Second Video Contest,” and the “Policy Proposal Contest”—with different target participants for each category.
“National School Showcase” is open to elementary, middle, and high school educational communities. This initiative seeks to identify exemplary cases of schools implementing the “Educational Community Self-Regulation Agreement,” which defines the roles and responsibilities of students, teachers, and parents. Schools can participate by submitting details of their agreement and implementation examples to the website from October 19 to November 20. The 20 schools selected as outstanding will receive snack boxes as gifts.
The self-regulatory agreements vary by school. Taean Elementary School in South Chungcheong Province includes a pledge that students will respect school rules and teachers’ guidance on daily conduct, refrain from school violence, parents will encourage their children to respect teachers and friends, and teachers will communicate to resolve problematic situations peacefully. Yeoju Middle School in Gyeonggi Province established a pledge in which students commit to reducing habitual use of profanity, parents commit to respecting teachers’ professionalism, and teachers commit to listening attentively to students.
The “Heart-to-Heart Reading Together” program will be held twice—in October and November—for elementary schools nationwide. Participants simply need to read the books recommended by the Korean Reading Association under the theme “Happy School Community” and post memorable quotes, reflections, or photos as proof of participation. Prizes will be awarded through a random drawing, and schools with active participation will receive the “Avid Reader Award,” while schools with outstanding submissions will receive the “Heart Award,” both of which come with snack boxes.
The “100-Second Video Contest” is open to middle and high school student clubs and classes, who participate alongside their advisors. Participants should choose one of three categories—the “Practice Category” (showcasing the implementation of self-regulatory guidelines), the “Communication Category” (highlighting joyful communication and cooperation), or the “Empathy Category” (in music video format)—based on the theme “Trust and Cooperation in the Educational Community.” They must create a video of 100 seconds or less, upload it to social media, and submit the link by October 31. The 15 winners of the “Together School Award” will receive the Minister of Education Award and prizes worth 1 million won, while the 35 winners of the “Heart-to-Heart Award” will receive the Minister’s Award and prizes worth 100,000 won.
For the “Policy Proposal Contest,” any member of the public can submit a policy proposal on the theme of “Measures to Promote Parent Participation in Schools” by October 31. Thirty-five proposals will be selected based on feasibility, creativity, and expected impact, and their authors will receive the Minister of Education Award and additional prizes.
Minister of Education Choi Gyo-jin stated, “A healthy school culture where the educational community trusts and cooperates with one another is the foundation that enables each student to grow healthily,” adding, “I hope this initiative will serve as an opportunity for more students, teachers, and parents to listen to one another’s stories and work together.”
