'Knee Appeal' Special School Reopens After 6 Years... Nine Private Kindergartens Convert to Public

Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education to Open 19 Public Kindergartens, Elementary, Middle, and Special Schools in March

On the 8th, the entrance ceremony for Seoul Guam Kindergarten, the nation's first purchased kindergarten, was held. A purchased kindergarten refers to the process where the Office of Education buys existing private kindergarten facilities and converts them into public kindergartens. The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education introduced this for the first time to strengthen the public nature of kindergartens. Photo by Dongju Yoon doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] The special school 'Seojin School' in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, where parents of students with disabilities knelt and pleaded amid opposition from local residents, will welcome students starting next month. Including 'purchased-type kindergartens' converted from existing private kindergartens to public ones, 15 new public kindergartens will open in Seoul alone.

On the 18th, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education announced that in March of the 2020 academic year, 15 public kindergartens, 1 special school, 1 elementary school, and 2 middle schools will be newly established and opened.

Among the newly established kindergartens, nine?Bukhansan, Sanwoollim, Yeokchon, Suraksan, Yeonji, Madeul, Banghak, Eojin, and Cheongnim Kindergartens?are purchased-type kindergartens. After completing all administrative procedures such as public recruitment and selection, Ministry of Education and City Council review, and student recruitment last year, they were converted from private to public kindergartens. Previously, five kindergartens including Guam Kindergarten were converted to this purchased-type kindergarten model and have been operating accordingly.

Starting this year, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education introduced a new kindergarten establishment model by opening a branch of a public kindergarten, establishing the Solgaram Kindergarten branch in Wirye New Town. This is a Seoul-style model for establishing medium- and small-scale single kindergartens where public education can be efficiently operated even in small facilities. The single 'Namhyun Kindergarten,' built on the surplus land of an existing elementary school, and four attached kindergartens utilizing available classrooms at Donggyo, Gohyeon, Songpa, and Danggok Elementary Schools are also preparing to open.

Seojin School, located on the site of the former Gongjin Elementary School, will open next month. It has been six years since the establishment plan was made in 2014. After opening Seocho Narae School and Dobong Dosol School last year, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education has established a public special school in Gangseo-gu, where special schools are lacking, leaving a good precedent for expanding special education institutions in areas of Seoul that require social consideration and harmony.

In the redevelopment districts of Gangdong Godeok-dong, Guro Hang-dong public housing district, and Gangseo Magok district, where large apartment complexes have been built and students have moved in, Gohyeon Elementary School, Hangdong Middle School, and Magok Hani Middle School were newly established respectively.

A Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education official stated, "To ensure that the opening preparations of these new kindergartens and schools proceed without any setbacks, essential personnel such as principals, vice principals, and administrative directors have been appointed early, and support and inspections are being conducted for opening expenses, school facility verification and completion inspections, and distribution of new school opening manuals to ensure smooth progress."