Busan Office of Education: Parents Take Initiative for 'Safe School Routes'

Parents, Office of Education, and Saha-gu to Improve Commute Route to Konkuk Middle School

Consensus Reached to Spread Best Practices at Parent-Invited Meeting

Parents have taken the initiative to ensure the safety of students on their way to and from school.

The Busan Metropolitan Office of Education announced on the 19th that, as a result of continuous communication among parents, the city education office, and Saha-gu, they have achieved improvements to the commuting environment for students at Geon-guk Middle School in Saha-gu.

The school route to Geon-guk Middle School has long been an issue due to its steep slope, raising the need for measures to ensure students' safety on their way to and from school.

To solve this problem, parents at Geon-guk Middle School actively stepped forward, and after several consultations with the Busan Office of Education and Saha-gu, completed construction to secure the safety of the school route this past May.

To address the previously identified risks on the steep slope in front of and below the main gate, the following works were carried out: installation of anti-slip pavement, stenciled walkways, protective railings for vehicles, and asphalt cutting and repaving, thereby establishing a safe school route.

The city education office organized a meeting to spread the meaningful case of Geon-guk Middle School, where parents led a joint public-private effort to improve the school commuting environment, throughout the local community. The aim is to encourage active participation and interest from local residents in ensuring the safety of students' school routes.

The meeting was held on the 19th near the school route of Geon-guk Middle School. Attendees included Superintendent Ha Yoonsoo, Saha-gu Mayor Lee Gapjun, parents and staff from Geon-guk Middle School, and about 30 parents from the western Busan area.

They welcomed students arriving at school and thoroughly inspected the newly improved school route. Afterwards, they discussed measures for creating a safer school route, such as 'compliance with the revised Road Traffic Act,' 'adhering to vehicle speed limits within child protection zones,' and 'prohibiting illegal parking and stopping.'

In particular, they agreed to use the case of Geon-guk Middle School, where parents took the lead in securing the safety of the school route, as a new 'school route improvement model' and to cooperate in spreading this model throughout the Busan area.

Ha Yoonsoo, Superintendent of Busan Metropolitan Office of Education, said, "To create a safe route to and from school where our children can feel secure, the interest and participation of parents, local residents, and related organizations are essential," adding, "The city education office will take the lead in ensuring the safety of students' school routes in cooperation with them."

The Busan Office of Education is currently pursuing various policies to establish a safe commuting environment, including: signing the 2022 Busan-style Integrated School Commuting Environment Safety Net Agreement; securing 6.3 billion KRW in city funding for school commuting safety projects; removing school fences; and deploying school route safety guards at elementary schools.

In particular, this March, the office launched the school commuting safety map system 'Gyotgil Ansim-e,' further accelerating the establishment of safe school routes.