Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon (third from left) and Rep. Na Kyung-won of the ruling People Power Party (third from right) speak with students using the Seoul Learn program (Joint Press Corps)

The Seoul Metropolitan Government will hold an event on Saturday to celebrate the third anniversary of its free online lecture platform for students here and unveil the program's new identity, officials said Friday.

Dubbed "Seoul Learn," the program, launched in August 2021, offers free online lectures to underprivileged students to bridge the achievement gap among students from different socioeconomic backgrounds. It has also provided high-quality education without students having to resort to out-of-school institutions, according to the city government.

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon will attend Saturday's event, and some 300 participants, including those currently using the program, parents, graduates and mentors.

During the event, the city government will also roll out the phrase "growth through learning, leaping towards your dream," as the program's new mission is to support student's academic development through online lectures and enable students to achieve their dreams.

The initiative is part of Oh's campaign promise to improve the city government's education services for students in need, in a country where students heavily engage in private education, predominantly at institutes known as hagwons, for better grades.

Since its launch, 28,000 students have benefited from the online courses. The scheme also played a big role in leveling the playing field between students, improving academic performance by offering quality resources and lowering private tutoring costs, the city government noted.

Also, a survey by the Seoul Institute found that 87 percent of the 2024 Suneung takers who studied using Seoul Learn said the program helped them prepare for the exam, while 95 percent said they would recommend the program for students preparing for the exam.

Last month, the city government discussed relaxing the income criteria for those eligible for the scheme with the Health Ministry, inviting households with higher incomes to join the program. Previously, those with incomes up to 50 percent of the median income were eligible, but this has increased to 60 percent. Children of veterans and North Korean defectors are also eligible now.

The city government plans to expand the eligibility criteria to make the program more accessible.