Hadong High School and Hadong Girls' High School to Be Merged Due to Declining School-age Population

Survey Conducted Among Parents and Others

Hadong High School and Hadong Girls' High School, both public schools in Hadong County, Gyeongnam, are facing the possibility of merger or closure due to a decline in the school-age population.

The Gyeongnam Office of Education announced that since March of last year, it has operated a public-private consultative body involving stakeholders from each school, representatives of local residents, Hadong County, and the Hadong Office of Education to prepare a plan for the merger or closure.

From the 28th to the 31st of last month, explanatory sessions were held for parents and local residents in the Hadong-eup and Jingyo areas to present the necessity of merging or closing the two schools, the pros and cons of the merger or closure, and a blueprint for the future of education in Hadong, followed by a Q&A session.

A parent and resident briefing session on the merger and closure of Hadong High School and Hadong Girls' High School in Gyeongnam is being held.
[Photo by Gyeongnam Office of Education]

According to the provincial office of education, on this day, representatives from Hadong Girls' High School, attending as representatives of the school's foundation, Hadong Yukyeongwon, delivered a statement titled "The merger or closure of Hadong Girls' High School and Hadong High School is a misguided policy," expressing their opposition.

They pointed out the errors in the Ministry of Education's policy for fostering appropriately sized schools and Hadong County's population policy to respond to population decline through school mergers or closures, and argued for the need to maintain and develop Hadong Girls' High School as a valuable cultural asset.

The provincial office of education will conduct an online survey on the merger or closure for all elementary and middle school parents in the Hadong area, as well as parents of students at Hadong High School and Hadong Girls' High School, from the 13th to the 19th of this month.

If the approval rate among the group of parents of male students and the group of parents of female students is 60% or lower, the merger or closure will be canceled.

If the approval rate is met, the provincial office of education plans to deliver the survey results to Hadong Yukyeongwon and request a review by the board of directors.

If two-thirds or more of the incumbent board members approve, the merger or closure plan will be finalized, after which the provincial office of education will proceed with the necessary administrative procedures.

If the two schools are merged, a new integrated Hadong High School with 16 classes and 360 students will be established at the current site of Hadong High School.

Lee Jongbu, head of the School Support Division, said, "Discussions on school mergers or closures are actively taking place throughout the province, in connection with the decline in the school-age population and large-scale reconstruction projects requiring significant budgets. I hope that parents will make careful decisions in the upcoming survey."