Gyeongbuk Office of Education (Superintendent Lim Jong-sik) has established emergency measures to support students and educational facilities affected by the large-scale wildfire that occurred on the 22nd in Anpyeong-myeon, Uiseong-gun, and has begun prompt recovery efforts.
On the 30th, Lim Jong-sik, Superintendent of Gyeongbuk Office of Education, visited Gilan Elementary School and Gilan Middle School in the Andong area to inspect the damage and discuss recovery and normalization plans. The wildfire caused damage in five cities and counties, including Uiseong, and currently, 609 students in the Gyeongbuk region have been urgently evacuated to shelters or relatives' homes.
Lim Jongsik, Superintendent of Gyeongbuk Education Office, visited the evacuation shelter at Andong Gilan Middle School and promised to mobilize all resources to expedite the recovery efforts from the wildfire damage.
In addition, a total of 13 schools and one educational facility suffered damage such as exterior wall loss and soot, including six schools in the Andong area, the Cheongsong Office of Education and four schools, and one kindergarten and two schools in the Yeongdeok area.
In response, the Gyeongbuk Office of Education has designated the two weeks from March 31 to April 13 as the 'Wildfire Damage Area Rapid Recovery Period' and plans to actively promote support for recovery and normalization of classes for students.
For students whose homes were completely destroyed and need to relocate to other areas, remote class support and placement in nearby schools will be provided. In addition, buses and taxis will be promptly arranged for schools and students who have difficulty commuting.
Furthermore, psychological treatment costs will be supported for students in need of counseling, and psychological counseling programs using the Wee Center and the emergency welfare service 'Education Welfare 119' will also be operated. Emergency support for cleaning and recovery costs will be provided to affected schools, and after applying for special disaster safety management grants from the Ministry of Education, rapid recovery will be pursued.
Lim Jong-sik, Superintendent of Gyeongbuk Office of Education, said, "We are focusing all our efforts to minimize educational disruption caused by this wildfire and to ensure that students can continue their studies stably," adding, "We will do our best to restore students' daily lives and learning."
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