North Gyeongsang education office draws up 6.188 trillion won supplementary budget

The North Gyeongsang Provincial Office of Education has submitted a first supplementary budget proposal for 2026 totaling 6.188 trillion won (approximately $4 billion) to the North Gyeongsang Provincial Council, the office announced Tuesday.

The supplementary budget represents an increase of 598.7 billion won over the original budget of 5.5893 trillion won. It is funded primarily by an increase in general grants and special grants tied to the central government's first supplementary budget.

Key revenue sources include 304.1 billion won in general grants and 87.9 billion won in special grants allocated under the central government's first supplementary budget.

To ensure schools can operate without disruption — covering heating and cooling costs and supporting educational activities — the budget raises school operating funds by 50.8 billion won. Funding for school bus operations and meal services also increases by 1.7 billion won each.

An additional 29.9 billion won has been set aside for the Education Development Special Zone project to foster a stronger education ecosystem, while 6 billion won will go toward programs aimed at strengthening student learning — including personalized academic support and foundational literacy guarantees.

The budget also allocates 28.8 billion won to replace aging IT equipment, 18.8 billion won to promote AI-based education including a program supporting AI digital classroom instruction, and 186.6 billion won for school facility improvement projects.

The proposal will go before the 363rd extraordinary session of the North Gyeongsang Provincial Council, where the education committee and the budget and accounts special committee will review it before final approval on June 26.

"This supplementary budget was drawn up with a focus on meeting schools' essential fiscal needs in a timely manner and providing stable support for students' educational activities," Superintendent Im Jong-sik said.