The Gyeongbuk Office of Education (Superintendent Lim Jong-sik) announced on the 13th that five schools?Namgye Elementary School (Gumi), Jeomgok Elementary School (Uiseong), Danchon Elementary School (Uiseong), Unsu Elementary School (Goryeong), and Cheongha Middle School (Pohang)?have been selected as ‘2024 Dream-Kium Small Schools.’
‘Dream-Kium Small Schools’ is a certification system implemented by the Gyeongbuk Office of Education since 2020 to enhance the qualitative level of rural small school operations, targeting schools participating in the ‘Small School Revitalization Project.’ Each year, five schools receive certification, and this year, a total of 25 schools have been certified as ‘Dream-Kium Small Schools.’
The schools selected this time were chosen through a fair evaluation based on indicators such as student enrollment growth rate, media publicity achievements, project implementation fidelity and appropriateness, principal’s commitment and member participation, curriculum operation, school distinctive projects, and efforts to secure external funding, among 240 schools operating the Gyeongbuk Office of Education’s ‘Small School Revitalization Project,’ which includes ‘Small School Free School District System,’ ‘Small School Cultivation Project,’ and ‘Gyeongbuk-type Joint Curriculum.’
The selected schools will receive a prize of approximately 3 million KRW, an excellent school certification plaque, and a ‘Dream-Kium Small School’ signboard.
Namgye Elementary School (Gumi) is implementing various ‘Connection’ projects under the theme ‘Jump UP! A Helping School Growing Through Connection.’ As a result, it has shown remarkable achievements such as continuous student transfers (5 in 2022, 15 in 2023, 14 in 2024) and increased parent satisfaction (65.4% in 2022 → 95.8% in 2023).
Jeomgok Elementary School (Uiseong) has significantly increased satisfaction among students and parents by promoting specialized education in science, arts, and physical education through collaboration with local institutions, including the ‘Jeomgok Starry Night Moonlight Festival (Daegu Children’s Observatory),’ ‘Dinosaur Exploration Team (Jinju National University of Education),’ and ‘Park Golf for Lifelong Health (Yeungjin College, Coco Park Golf).’
Danchon Elementary School (Uiseong) offers various experiential learning opportunities for all students, such as horseback riding experiences, bicycle fitness classes, caravan camping, summer vacation golf classes, ski camps, urban leisure culture experiences, and multicultural camps. Additionally, based on the interest and cooperation of the local community, it is promoting priority housing admission in Goun Village (rental housing) for eight families transferring in December this year.
Unsu Elementary School (Goryeong) is focusing on ‘Edutech Utilization Education’ to reduce the digital education gap with urban schools and ‘Cultural Arts and Maker Education’ to provide cultural and artistic experience opportunities for students who lack infrastructure. The school curriculum and distinctive programs have received positive feedback for effectively addressing cultural academic gaps and preparing for future education.
Cheongha Middle School (Pohang) attracts out-of-district students through the small school free school district system, with out-of-district students accounting for 70% of the total student body. The school’s distinctive project, the ‘Gwansong Orchestra,’ is a source of pride. It has excelled not only in regional competitions such as the 48th Korea Wind Instrument Competition (Silver Prize) and the 7th Student Orchestra Festival (Gold Prize) but also in various national-level competitions.
Superintendent Lim Jong-sik of the Gyeongbuk Office of Education stated, “Small schools in Gyeongbuk are improving the quality of rural education through various educational programs that utilize regional characteristics,” and added, “We will continue to discover and spread exemplary cases of small school operations.”
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
