Daejeon City Council Member Kim Jino: "Only 3 out of 10 Elementary Schools Have Care Classrooms on the First Floor"

In a Five-Minute Free Speech at the Temporary Session,
"Swift Evacuation Difficult in Emergencies on the Second Floor or Higher"

Jino Kim, a Daejeon city council member, is delivering a five-minute free speech in the plenary hall on the 20th.

Despite the Ministry of Education's recommendation to place elementary school after-school care classrooms on the first floor, it has been pointed out that this principle is not being followed in the Daejeon area.

On the 20th, at the 285th temporary session of the Daejeon City Council, Kim Jino (People Power Party, Seo-gu District 1) strongly urged Superintendent Seol Dongho to prioritize placing after-school care classrooms on the first floor of elementary schools.

During his five-minute speech, Kim referred to a recent incident involving the death of an elementary school student and stressed, "At the time, the after-school care classroom was located on the second floor, creating a blind spot in the child's movement route."

He continued, "After the accident, some schools attempted to shift responsibility through parental consent forms for students' dismissal, but rather than such paperwork, practical and fundamental safety measures must come first."

He further criticized, "Although the Ministry of Education has already recommended placing after-school care classrooms on the first floor, this principle is not being properly followed in the Daejeon area."

According to data obtained by Kim from the Daejeon Metropolitan Office of Education, only 38 out of 140 elementary schools in Daejeon (27.1%) have all after-school care classrooms located exclusively on the first floor. Additionally, out of a total of 443 after-school care classrooms, only 174 (39.3%) are situated on the first floor.

Kim emphasized, "After-school care classrooms on the second floor or higher make swift evacuation difficult in emergencies, increasing the risk of missing the golden time. While supplementary measures such as deploying volunteers or expanding CCTV, as proposed by the Daejeon Metropolitan Office of Education, are necessary, the most fundamental and practical solution is to place after-school care classrooms on the first floor as much as possible."

Meanwhile, the Daejeon City Council opened its 285th temporary session on the morning of the same day, commencing a nine-day legislative schedule until the 28th. During this session, the council plans to address a total of 45 agenda items, including 21 submitted by council members, 18 by the mayor, and 6 by the superintendent of education.