"Upon Admission, a 500,000 Won Scholarship is Also Given... A First in 105 Years Since the Founding"

Gunseo Elementary School Faces Risk of Closure After 105 Years
Efforts to Attract New Students Show Limited Results

Gunseo Elementary School in Okcheon, Chungbuk, is starting the new school year without any new students this year. This is the first time in 105 years since its establishment.

Gunseo Elementary will begin its academic schedule on the 4th with an opening ceremony instead of an entrance ceremony.

Since opening in 1909 under the name Hwamyung Private School, Gunseo Elementary has produced a total of 6,615 graduates to date. However, the number of students, which was around 1,200 in the 1970s and 1980s, has since sharply declined. In January, five 6th graders graduated, leaving the total student body at just 22.

Um Ji-yeon, vice principal of Gunseo Elementary, said, "In the past five years, we had 3 to 7 new students each year, but this year, for the first time, we cannot hold an entrance ceremony. Without new students, the excitement for the new semester is also diminished."

In response, Gunseo Elementary has been conducting after-school arts education, inviting musical experts to teach choir and stage performances as part of a policy to save small schools. Last year, the entire student body published a book titled Seohwa Story, which weaves the local history around the school into a fairy tale.

Students of Okcheon Gunseo Elementary School participating in the 'Friendship Day' event [Image source=Provided by Gunseo Elementary School]

The local community has also launched the "Gunseo 245 (Move to Gunseo Road)" campaign to attract students, but no results have been achieved.

Lee Seong-hak, chairman of the Gunseo-myeon Residents' Council, stated, "We offered a scholarship of 500,000 won for new (transfer) students and provided moving-in and childbirth congratulatory money as incentives, which brought in three transfer students last year, but that was all."

Vice Principal Um added, "Although a specialized curriculum that leverages the advantages of a small school is being implemented effectively, it is insufficient to cope with the declining school-age population. The fact that two kindergarten students from the affiliated kindergarten are expected to enroll next year is somewhat consoling."

Accordingly, the school alumni association, the school operation committee, and the residents' autonomy committee plan to hold a countermeasure meeting on the 5th. Kim Jong-seop, president of the alumni association, said, "We cannot just watch a school with a 105-year tradition face the risk of closure."

This year, there are a total of seven elementary schools in Chungbuk with no new students, including this school, Yanggang Elementary and Chogang Elementary (both in Yeongdong-gun), Yongwon Elementary Dongrak Branch (Chungju City), Gagok Elementary Daegok and Bobal Branches, and Yeongchun Elementary Byeolbang Branch (all in Danyang-gun).