Seoul education office sets W11.8tr budget for 2027, prioritizing mental health, literacy and safety

The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education has drawn up a 2027 budget of 11.8 trillion won ($8.8 billion), a 7.9 percent increase from this year's base budget. The plan directs new spending toward student mental health, basic literacy, school safety and improvements to the learning environment. However, tighter fiscal headroom left some facility upgrades and a planned replacement of students' digital learning devices unfunded.

The education office announced Wednesday that it submitted the "2027 Special Accounts for Education Budget" to the Seoul Metropolitan Council on Friday.

A total of 1.06 trillion won has been allocated to key projects supporting student development and school operations. Of that, 18.2 billion won goes to student mental health — funding school-based mental health programs, social-emotional education and intensive support for students in crisis. Within that envelope, 4.9 billion won will go toward establishing a tentatively named "Mind Recovery School" to provide treatment and rehabilitation for students experiencing psychological and emotional difficulties.

Basic literacy support will receive 32.9 billion won, providing tailored instruction for students who struggle to keep up in class and connecting them with additional school-based guidance and outside specialist organizations. Some 74.9 billion won has been set aside for treatment support for students with special education needs and for the construction of special schools. Students outside the formal school system and alternative education institutions will receive 15.8 billion won in support, while 7 billion won has been earmarked for the education of students with migrant backgrounds.

School safety will draw 411.3 billion won. Of that, 330.8 billion won will go toward structural safety work at school facilities, including seismic reinforcement and asbestos removal. Another 57.3 billion won covers health and safety measures for cafeteria workers — ventilation improvements in school kitchens, dishwashing support and lung health screenings. An additional 11.9 billion won has been set aside for school violence prevention and support for affected students.

The budget also sets aside funds to help teachers focus on instruction and student guidance. Some 6.8 billion won has been allocated for responding to infringements on educational activities and supporting teacher recovery, while 4.6 billion won will go toward operating school support centers. Another 4.3 billion won has been earmarked for field trip support, with the aim of reducing teachers' safety management and administrative burdens.

AI and digital education infrastructure will receive 74 billion won. Redesigning spaces in aging school buildings will draw 287.5 billion won. An additional 3.2 billion won has been set aside to convert a closed school into a lifelong education facility for older adults, tentatively called a "Slow Campus."

The education office cautioned, however, that the overall budget increase does not translate into more funding for school programs. The rise reflects higher personnel costs and earmarked special grants with predetermined uses. "Education and facility project budgets financed from general revenue actually fell by 18.8 billion won compared with this year's base budget," the office said, adding that the proposed 2027 budget is 8.3 percent smaller than this year's final budget of 12.87 trillion won.

Due to the funding shortfall, 965.7 billion won worth of departmental requests could not be accommodated. Priority school environment improvement projects — including window and restroom upgrades — require 642.8 billion won next year, but only 13.1 billion won was included in the budget. Funding to replace "Dibut" student digital learning devices that are due for an upgrade was also not secured.

The budget proposal will go before the Seoul Metropolitan Council for deliberation and is set to be finalized by Dec. 23. The final figure may change depending on the central government's reform of local education finance grants and the outcome of related legislation in the National Assembly.

Seoul Superintendent of Education Jeong Geun-sik said the budget was drawn up under the principle of prioritizing investment in students, even amid growing fiscal constraints caused by rising fixed costs such as personnel expenses and a shrinking capacity to draw on reserve funds. "Even as student numbers decline, we cannot cut investment in the learning and safety that each and every student needs," Jeong said.