Fostering future talent for the new era of the “fourth industrial revolution” is a top priority for Gyeonggi Gov. Nam Kyung-pil.

In his pursuit of future-oriented education, the governor has pushed for the renewal of an existing English immersion institute in the province into a new education center, dubbed “Change Up Campus.”

“Change Up is a new brand that carries the values of evolution and revolution,” Gov. Nam said Sunday at the opening ceremony in Paju, Gyeonggi Province. “The new campus will become an institute that will establish a firm foothold in the field of creativity education, and cultivate students of talent.” 

Formerly Paju English Village, the center had only taught English. It had grappled with growing deficits due to a shortage of students.

Under the change, 16 new programs are being introduced, including classes on creativity and special training for teachers. New courses will cover topics such coding, design thinking, drones, 3-D printing and culture education. Public school students and teachers will be offered opportunities to attend classes there.

The campus consists of 23 classrooms in two main buildings, which have been renovated to fit technology-based teaching and learning.

“In the era of the fourth industrial revolution, a challenge spirit is more important than ever,” Nam said, highlighting his education philosophy that focuses on nurturing the creativity of the students.

“Students nowadays should learn to become pioneers and not pursuers, such as the entrepreneurs who established corporates such as Google, Apple, Facebook and YouTube,” he added.

Nam said that he had faced many difficulties in the process of changing the village into a new education center. The result reflects his best efforts to gather a consensus from all parts of the provincial government and the education office there, he added.

The new institute plans to reflect the opinions and ideas of provincial residents in its education programs. It will focus on programs intended at fostering skills that will be important in the era of the fourth industrial revolution.

Nam was formerly a four-term parliamentarian from a constituency in Gyeonggi Province’s Suwon city. He began his term as governor in 2014.

By Jo He-rim and Park Joung-kyu (herim@heraldcorp.com) (fob140@heraldcorp.com)