"Special Education Demand Increasing Annually... Need for Mid- to Long-Term Planning"
There have been calls for a mid- to long-term plan to guarantee the learning rights of students with disabilities and improve the educational environment.
Kim Nayoon, a member of the Gwangju Metropolitan Council (Democratic Party, Buk-gu 6), stated during the administrative audit of the Gwangju Metropolitan Office of Education on the 5th, “The number of students in special schools and classes in the Gwangju area has been steadily increasing recently,” adding, “As awareness of special education and disabilities changes, the demand for special education is expected to continue rising, so the education authorities need to prepare from multiple angles.”
The number of students in special schools in the Gwangju area has shown an increasing trend every year: 2,417 in 2020, 2,471 in 2021, 2,593 in 2022, 2,752 in 2023, and 2,911 this year.
Kim pointed out, “Despite this situation, the ratio of special education teachers, which was one teacher per 3.7 students in 2020, has worsened to one teacher per 3.9 students this year,” adding, “We are barely complying with the Special Education Act, which requires one teacher for every four students.”
She continued, “Excluding contract teachers outside the quota, the student-to-teacher ratio rises even higher to 4.37, so continuous requests for quota expansion to the Ministry of Education are necessary to create a stable educational environment,” and urged, “If this is a common issue among metropolitan and provincial offices of education nationwide, please seek solutions through the Council of Education Superintendents.”
Kim also said, “The increase in the number of students with disabilities has made the shortage of schools a serious problem,” explaining, “There are six public and private special schools, including Seonye School, which opened this year in the Seonun district, but due to the absolute shortage of supply, container module classrooms have even appeared at frontline sites.”
She added, “Among the six special schools, only three currently have sprinklers installed, leaving students exposed to fire risks,” and requested, “For the two schools scheduled for relocation in the future, please approach the creation of a safe environment and educational space with a long-term perspective.”
In response, a representative from the Metropolitan Office of Education said, “We are continuously requesting an increase in quotas from the government and are also considering the establishment of new schools,” and added, “We will review various measures to improve the educational environment.”
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