Iksan, Republic of Korea

iksan_rok_jeon_han_republic_of_korea_flickr.jpg

iksan_rok_jeon_han_republic_of_korea_flickr.jpg

City of hope and lifelong learning

Iksan is investing significant resources in its lifelong learning projects in line with its slogan, ‘Iksan – City of Hope and Lifelong Learning where all citizens can communicate and relate to one another through learning and sharing’.

Vision and Motivation

Iksan was designated a lifelong learning city by the Korean government in 2005. Since then, it has been working continuously to develop its lifelong learning projects. The city’s aim is to establish a system of public-private-academic governance for lifelong learning, setting up learning communities and spreading a culture of lifelong learning in order to eliminate learning disparities across the region.

Challenges and Goals

The central area is home to most of the city’s major facilities and support organizations. As a result, learning conditions in the suburbs, where most senior citizens reside, are significantly less favourable. There is thus an urgent need to establish lifelong learning systems and measures to overcome these disparities and build communities that can prosper through education.

Plan and Implementation

Iksan is working on the following projects:

1. establishing and supporting a private-public-academic system of governance through
   • the Iksan Lifelong Learning Committee and
   • specialized training and workshops for those engaged in the city’s lifelong learning project;
2. propagating a culture of lifelong learning through
   • the Iksan Lifelong Learning Festival,
   • support for lifelong learning circles and
   • training for leaders of lifelong learning projects and Happy Learning Centres; and
3. providing diverse opportunities for lifelong learning through
   • the Iksan Citizen College,
   • support for adult literacy initiatives and
   • online courses provided by the Cyber Lifelong Learning Centre.