Jeonnam Provincial Office of Education, Excellent Performance in Limited Joint School District System Operation

Since 2015, Small School Enrollment and Student Numbers Increasing Annually

Jeonnam Provincial Office of Education

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Jun-kyung] The Jeonnam Provincial Office of Education announced on the 11th that the Limited Joint School District System has been steadily producing results.

The Limited Joint School District System allows elementary and middle school students living in city and town areas to transfer only to schools in township areas to revitalize small schools in rural fishing and farming areas struggling with declining student numbers. This system has been in operation in Jeonnam Province since 2015.

In particular, to expand students' school choice and revitalize small schools, the system was expanded to include city areas starting this year. This is expected to greatly help the revitalization of small schools in Jeonnam, which are facing difficulties due to declining student numbers, by promoting student inflow into small schools.

The Office of Education analyzed that the number of students transferring into small schools has steadily increased, contributing to the normalization of the curriculum and the resolution of oversized and overcrowded classes in city and town areas, with ▲171 students (7 schools) in 2015 ▲1,345 students (197 schools) in 2019 ▲1,986 students (278 schools) in 2020 ▲2,351 students (311 schools) in 2021.

Also, starting this year, to resolve imbalances between new and old urban schools and to create effective COVID-19 infection prevention conditions, the system was expanded to allow transfers from elementary schools with 25 or more classes to those with fewer than 12 classes within the same city area.

In the first year of expanded operation, 39 students transferred from oversized and overcrowded elementary schools in four cities in Jeonnam (Mokpo, Yeosu, Suncheon, Naju) to 22 small schools.

Oh Jun-kyung, Director of the Administration Division, said, “By actively supporting the operation of the Limited Joint School District System, we will continue to strive to broaden the school choice rights of students and parents, as well as to help revitalize small schools and realize education centered on education consumers.”