“At This Rate, We Can Never Build It”…Protest from a Village Without a Middle School

Jiweon-dong Parents Launch Campaign for Middle School
"Children Are Exhausted by Commutes Over 45 Minutes"

"Shouldn't there be at least one middle school for the children? This is a matter of basic educational rights."

Parents in the Jiweon-dong area of Dong-gu, Gwangju have launched a full-scale campaign to attract a middle school to their neighborhood. To protect their children's right to education and improve local living conditions, they have formed the (tentative) Jihan Middle School Attraction Committee, and are conducting meetings with the Office of Education and collecting resident signatures.

According to the committee on the 25th, large apartment complexes have been continuously built in the outskirts of Dong-gu, including Wolnam-dong, Seongyo-dong, Junam Village, and Yukpanseo Village, leading to a steady increase in the local population over the past few years. Jihan Kindergarten, which opened as a stand-alone facility in 2018 with six classes, now has nine classes and 163 students. Jihan Elementary School, which opened in 2017 with seven classes, has grown to 24 classes and 475 students this year. However, there is not a single middle school in the area, so most students are assigned to Mudeung Middle School and must commute 40 to 50 minutes each way. They rely on buses or their parents' cars for transportation.

Residents of Donggu, Gwangju, attending the launch ceremony of the Jihan Middle School Kindergarten Promotion Team held at Chaekjeongwon Library are sharing the promotion direction.

Lee Seokju, head of the committee, said in a phone interview with our newspaper, "Ninety-nine percent of the kids here go to Mudeung Middle School. Even at best, it takes 40 to 50 minutes to commute," adding, "When it's time for middle school, more and more families start thinking about moving."

Residents argue that the school establishment standards set by the Office of Education do not match the reality. Lee said, "According to the Office of Education, the population won't increase further and we won't be able to fill enough classes, so it's difficult. But if that's the standard, we'll never be able to build a school," and added, "The 18-class standard fits urban areas, but for outlying areas like ours, there should be more flexible judgment based on local conditions." He emphasized, "If we want children to grow up with their friends in the neighborhood and attend school stably, a middle school is absolutely necessary."

The committee recently met with Superintendent Lee Jeongseon to directly deliver their opinions. Lee explained, "We're not just asking for a school to be built. This neighborhood has all the necessary living conditions, but it's missing just one thing: a middle school," and added, "We also proposed creating a premium educational district that encompasses the entire area."

He continued, "Whether it's the city Office of Education, city hall, or district office, I hope everyone can come together and establish standards that reflect reality," and said, "We will also unite residents' efforts to make sure a middle school is established in our area."