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Buan, Republic of Korea
Buan is situated in the western part of the Republic of Korea’s Jeonbuk State province.
groups
City population
50,122
person
Member since
2024
Vision
Buan’s lifelong learning strategy centres on three key values: participation, learning and togetherness. The city aims to create a supportive environment for individual competency development and life changes through its ‘Learning UP’ initiative. It also focuses on tapping into local potential and creating environmental value, notably through projects like Saemangeum. The ‘Grow-UP’ initiative creates a network across the entire area of Buan to resolve regional imbalances in lifelong learning and stimulate the local economy.
Policies, plan and implementation
Sustainability and health
Buan integrates sustainability into its plans through the industrialization of renewable energy and the establishment of sustainable village-level ecosystems. Lifelong learning programmes operate in community centres across the city. Upcycling initiatives are run in partnership with local universities. Health programmes include humanities courses linked to mental health, community education on exercise culture, and health promotion teams in public centres.
Equity and inclusion
The city works to ensure an active right to learn for all residents. It operates the Bara Literacy School in 18 locations to reach long-distance learners and offers a portal for customized educational resources. The city also provides barrier-free access to learning for people with disabilities and multicultural families through tailored literacy programmes and multilingual education.
Decent work and entrepreneurship
Buan has a regional participation system that supports employment and start-up education, especially targeting older adult women, and fosters a smooth transition from learning groups to local participation. Buan aims to establish a virtuous work-learning cycle by training adult literacy teachers and lifelong learning managers locally, offering qualification course support, and collaborating with Chonbuk National University on ecoagriculture ventures.
Good practices
Barae school for older learners
The school aims to resolve educational gaps by offering academically recognized literacy programmes. Targeting local residents who missed out on traditional schooling due to family circumstances, as well as adults who have missed other learning opportunities, the school provides training comparable to that offered in a regular academic setting.
The Dream Buan Academy
This project enhances job-related learning for all citizens. It aims to contribute to community development and raise global and local awareness through lifelong learning programmes. The academy focuses on improving quality of life by offering a combination of learning and practical experience in the arts humanities and culture, as well as global citizenship education.