Gyeongnam School Facility Complexification? Prioritizing Student Safety and Learning Rights First

Gyeongnam Office of Education Attends Debate Hosted by Provincial Council

On the 22nd, a 'School Facility Complexification Forum' for the coexistence of schools and local communities was held at the Gyeongnam Provincial Council.

The forum, hosted by the Gyeongnam Provincial Council, was organized to include necessary matters for the installation and operation of school complex facilities in the 'Ordinance on the Installation and Operation of School Complex Facilities by the Gyeongnam Office of Education.'

According to the Provincial Council and the Office of Education, An So-dong, former policy advisor to the Minister of Health and Welfare, served as the forum chair, while Park Dong-cheol, a provincial council member, and Lee Sang-min, a researcher at the Korea Educational Development Institute, took charge of the presentations.

Seong Bo-bin, a Changwon City council member, Kim Hyo-kyung, director of the Miryang Lifelong Education Center, and Ryu Hae-sook, head of the Future School Promotion Team at the Gyeongnam Office of Education, participated as discussants.

Participants attending the 'School Facility Complex Discussion for Win-Win Cooperation between Schools and Local Communities' held at the Gyeongnam Provincial Council are taking a commemorative photo. [Photo by Gyeongnam Provincial Council]

School complex facilities refer to facilities installed within school premises that can be used jointly by students and local residents, such as public, cultural and sports facilities, parking lots, and lifelong education facilities.

The Provincial Council viewed the school facility complexification project as a way to overcome the current trends of school consolidation due to low birth rates and aging population, as well as the increasing demand for community welfare facilities.

Participants publicized the issues arising from the installation of school complex facilities and exchanged opinions on ways to promote the installation of such facilities.

The forum began with congratulatory remarks from Education Committee Chair Park Byung-young, followed by a keynote lecture by Professor Song Kwang-tae of Changwon National University titled 'The Direction of School Facility Complexification for the Coexistence of Schools and Local Communities,' and a thematic presentation by Lee Sang-min, team leader at the Korea Development Institute, on 'Policy Directions for Activating School Complex Facilities.'

Professor Song stated, "School facility complexification is shifting from a choice to a trend of the times," and added, "Institutional measures related to guaranteeing students' right to learn and safety must be established to actively promote the project."

Council member Park said, "For the enactment of the ordinance, the system regarding ownership, operation, and management of school complex facilities must first be confirmed," and added, "Institutional measures are urgent, so we will collect opinions discussed at the forum and strive to enact an effective ordinance."

Team leader Ryu said, "School complex facilities that can ensure student safety and operate programs linked to educational activities are necessary."

They mentioned issues faced when promoting school complex facilities, including ▲ securing student safety ▲ supporting school educational activities ▲ improving awareness of facility complexification ▲ difficulties in ensuring continuity of project implementation ▲ clarifying the entities responsible for facility operation and management.

They continued, "If these issues are supplemented, we plan to promote the activation project for installing school complex facilities," and added, "We will use the various policy proposals and requests from this forum as a reference to create an opportunity to promote school complex facility projects where Gyeongnam residents and students can coexist."

According to the Office of Education, on the 17th, the Ministry of Education announced measures to activate school complex facilities and revealed specific plans linked to the Neulbom School initiative.

The Office of Education plans to establish its own school complex facility activation plan in April and encourage schools and local governments to actively participate in the Ministry of Education's public contest projects.