Gyeongbuk Provincial Council Passes "Education Support Ordinance for Population Decline Areas"... Proposed by Representative Kwon Gwang-taek

The Gyeongbuk Provincial Council announced on the 5th that the "Gyeongsangbuk-do Office of Education Support Ordinance for Population Declining Areas," proposed by Assemblyman Kwon Gwang-taek (People Power Party, Andong 2), was finally approved at the 2nd plenary session of the 344th extraordinary meeting of the Gyeongsangbuk-do Provincial Council.

This ordinance was proposed to establish institutional grounds that can contribute to the sustainable growth and balanced educational development of population declining areas by stipulating necessary matters for educational support in the Gyeongsangbuk-do region facing a population decline crisis.

Gyeongbuk Provincial Council Member Kwon Gwang-taek

The main contents of the ordinance include the establishment and implementation of educational support plans for population declining areas, operation and management of budgets designated by purpose and conditions for each educational support project, support projects for educational support in population declining areas, and matters related to the establishment of cooperative systems.

According to the KOSIS National Statistical Portal, the current total fertility rate is 0.78 per woman of childbearing age, marking the lowest ever since statistics began in 1970, and the number of deaths has exceeded the number of births, leading to a natural population decrease phenomenon called the population dead cross, which began in 2020, marking the official entry into the era of population decline.

As the population decline problem worsens, the government designated "89 population declining areas" in 2021 and strengthened responses to the crisis of population decline and regional extinction by enacting the "Special Act on Support for Population Declining Areas."

Assemblyman Kwon Gwang-taek of the Gyeongbuk Provincial Council stated, "Currently, 15 out of 22 cities and counties in Gyeongsangbuk-do are designated as population declining areas, facing the crisis of population decline and regional extinction," adding, "As the population decline problem becomes more serious, the government enacted the 'Special Act on Support for Population Declining Areas' in June 2022 and has been implementing it since 2023. Therefore, the Gyeongsangbuk-do Office of Education also needs to establish an educational support foundation for population declining areas to actively prevent and overcome the crisis of population decline and regional extinction through proactive efforts."

Assemblyman Kwon further said, "With the passage of the ordinance, it is expected to stipulate necessary matters for educational support in population declining areas within the province, promote an increase in the school-age population and improve residential conditions, thereby contributing to the sustainable growth and balanced educational development of population declining areas."

On January 25, the Gyeongbuk Provincial Council pledged to gather all its capabilities to overcome the national crisis caused by low birth rates in the front yard of the council building and committed to discovering and implementing bold and innovative measures centered on local governments.