An 'Integrated Elementary and Middle School' to Open in the New Jinju Station Area, Gyeongnam

Gyeongnam Office of Education's New Establishment Plan Passes Ministry of Education Central Investment Review

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Seryeong] The Gyeongnam Office of Education's tentative plan to establish the Shin Jinju Station Area Integrated Elementary and Middle School has passed the Ministry of Education's central review.

The provincial Office of Education plans to build an integrated elementary and middle school in the area of 1954 Gajwa-dong, Jinju City, with a total project cost of 44.2 billion KRW.

The school, to be built on a 14,405㎡ site within the Shin Jinju Station Area Urban Development District, will include 25 elementary school classes and 13 middle school classes, each with one special class.

There will be 506 elementary students and 313 middle school students attending, and the school is scheduled to open in March 2026.

Plan to establish an integrated elementary and middle school in the new Jinju station area, Gyeongnam.
[Image provided by Gyeongnam Office of Education]

According to the provincial Office of Education, Eunhasu Elementary School opened in March 2022 with 36 classes in the area, but the number of elementary students in the development district is expected to reach 1,489 by 2026, requiring an additional 24 classes for appropriate student distribution.

Middle school students in the development district currently have to commute between 30 minutes to an hour by public transportation to attend Jinmyeong Girls' Middle School, Jinju Jungang Middle School, and others within School District 8. To properly develop Geumgok Middle School, which has a small student body of 30 students, a new middle school needed to be established.

The provincial Office of Education stated that they are promoting the integrated elementary and middle school to supplement the insufficient number of classes that would result from establishing elementary and middle schools separately.

An official from the provincial Office of Education said, "We were able to pass this central investment review by wisely resolving difficult issues such as adjusting local residents' interests regarding the separate establishment of schools by grade level, persuading parents about the relocation and redistribution of Geumgok Middle School, and preparing plans for utilizing the Geumgok Middle School site."

He added, "The newly requested Naedeokdo City Elementary School in the Gimhae area did not pass the central investment review this time. We will consider various measures and proceed with its establishment."

Heo Jaeyoung, head of the School Support Division, said, "This will help alleviate overcrowded classes in the development district and solve the problem of long-distance commuting. We will do our best to ensure that the newly built school, which overcame many difficulties, opens on time."