A total of 49 elementary, middle, and high schools across the country are expected to close this year due to a decrease in the school-age population caused by the low birth rate. In particular, the closure of local schools is 43, accounting for 88% of the total, making the crisis of local education serious.
According to the 'Status of Closed Schools in 17 Metropolitan Cities and Provinces Nationwide' submitted by the Ministry of Education to Rep. Jin Seon-mi of the Democratic Party of Korea, a member of the Education Committee of the National Assembly, 49 elementary, middle, and high schools are scheduled to close this year. This is an overwhelmingly higher figure than the number of closed schools collected by each city and provincial office of education every year for the past five years.
The number of closed schools, which was 33 in 2020, decreased to 24 in 2021, 25 in 2022, and 22 in 2023, but then surged to 33 last year. By region, there were no closed schools in Seoul, and 6 schools were surveyed to be closed in Gyeonggi-do.
The region with the most scheduled closures was Jeonnam (10 schools). It was followed by Chungnam (9 schools), Jeonbuk (8 schools), and Gangwon (7 schools). The special and metropolitan cities included two regions: Busan (2 schools) and Daegu (1 school). By school level, elementary schools accounted for the vast majority of the 49 schools scheduled to close, with 38 schools. There were 8 middle schools and 3 high schools.
Ahead of the elementary school entrance season, a total of 112 elementary schools nationwide (excluding closed and closed schools) had no new students last year. According to the 'Status of Elementary Schools without Freshmen' data as of April last year, received by Rep. Jin from the Ministry of Education, Jeonbuk had the most with 34 schools. It was followed by Gyeongbuk (17 schools), Gyeongnam (16 schools), Jeonnam and Chungnam (12 schools each), and Gangwon (11 schools).
This year, the number is expected to increase further. According to the current status collected by each city and provincial office of education in early and mid-month, it is estimated that as many as 42 schools in Gyeongbuk alone will not be able to receive new students. It is expected that 'elementary schools without first graders' will continue to appear mainly in rural areas this year, with 32 in Jeonnam, 25 in Jeonbuk, 26 in Gyeongnam, and 21 in Gangwon.
South Korea's total fertility rate of 0.72 (as of 2023) is recording the most rapid decline in the world. It is a figure that is causing concern in the world market, and it has become a hot topic when Joan Williams, professor emeritus at the University of California, grabbed her head and said, "South Korea is completely ruined," after hearing about the reality of low birth rates in Korea. Professor Williams explained, "I have never heard of such a low birth rate."
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