Jang Seok-woong, Jeonnam Superintendent of Education, Explores Measures to Revitalize Local Communities and Schools

Jang Seok-woong, Superintendent of Education for Jeonnam, held a dialogue session with local residents regarding measures to revitalize education in rural farming and fishing villages, including integrated elementary and middle schools. Photo by Jeonnam Office of Education

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Jun-kyung] On the 23rd, Jeonnam Provincial Office of Education announced on the 26th that Jeonnam Superintendent of Education Jang Seok-woong met with representatives of Kkaeum Village School and Yeomin Dongrak Community at Yeonggwang Myoryang Welfare Center to have a dialogue on revitalizing education in rural farming and fishing villages, including integrated elementary and middle schools.

This meeting, arranged as part of Superintendent Jang Seok-woong’s ongoing ‘Listening Olle’ initiative since his inauguration, was held with about 20 attendees including Jeonnam Provincial Assembly member Lee Jang-seok, officials from the Office of Education and schools, and heads of local community organizations. Myoryang Jungang Elementary School faced the risk of closure 10 years ago but has been overcoming it through the solidarity and efforts of the school, parents, and local residents determined to restore rural education and life.

In particular, they formed a village education curriculum council involving students, faculty, parents, and local residents to promote school-level spatial innovation, and established the ‘Kkaeum Village School Social Cooperative’ to realize sustainable village education autonomy.

On this day, participants boldly proposed a vision and model for the regeneration and development of Myoryang-myeon centered on Myoryang Jungang Elementary School.

Kwon Hyuk-beom, representative of Yeomin Dongrak Community, said, “In a situation where the core driving force for regional regeneration has diminished due to population decline, the power to solve local problems lies in education,” and proposed, “Let’s pilot the establishment of a middle school in Myoryang-myeon, where the community energy is sufficient, and operate it in integration with Myoryang Jungang Elementary School.”

Superintendent Jang Seok-woong said, “The principle of integrated elementary and middle schools is that the school operating within the same township where there is demand should run it,” and added, “Although there is no precedent for establishing a middle school within an elementary school, since innovation schools are completed at the elementary level and face discontinuity when moving to middle school, this proposal is worth considering for linkage.”

He continued, “As the educational paradigm is undergoing a comprehensive transformation in the COVID-19 era, we will gather wisdom with an open attitude to find a breakthrough for rural farming and fishing village education in Jeonnam.”