Emphasizing the Need for School Consolidation Discussions
and the Establishment of Specialized High Schools
The Gwangju Seo-gu Council has called for the consolidation of schools and the establishment of specialized high schools in response to changes in the school-age population. There are growing calls for educational policies that reflect local circumstances.
Members of the Gwangju Seo-gu Council are taking a commemorative photo after adopting the "Resolution Urging School Consolidation and Establishment of Specialized High Schools in Response to Changes in the School-Age Population" at the plenary session on the 17th.
On the 17th, during the 334th first plenary session, the Seo-gu Council adopted the "Resolution Urging School Consolidation and Establishment of Specialized High Schools in Response to Changes in the School-Age Population," sponsored by Assemblyman Ahn Hyeongju. The council emphasized that Gwangju City, the Office of Education, and Seo-gu District Office must work closely together to improve the local educational environment.
Seo-gu is characterized by a mix of old downtown areas and newly developed residential districts, resulting in complex patterns of change in the school-age population. In particular, as the imbalance in student numbers among local middle schools intensifies, there are growing concerns about declining educational efficiency, making it inevitable to discuss school consolidation from a mid- to long-term perspective.
On the other hand, with the construction of large apartment complexes around Maruk Park, Jungang Park, and the Maruk-dong area, school-age populations are expected to increase in Geumho-dong and Sangmu 2-dong. However, there are no high schools in these areas, raising concerns that the inconvenience of long-distance commuting for students may worsen.
There are also no specialized high schools in Seo-gu. Out of 13 such schools in Gwangju, none are located in Seo-gu, which has led to criticism that educational accessibility is lacking and that opportunities to nurture talent for future industries are limited.
Assemblyman Ahn referenced a past case where the Gwangju Metropolitan Office of Education attempted to merge Sangmu Middle School and Chipyeong Middle School, but the plan was scrapped due to insufficient collection of parental opinions. He stressed, "When pursuing school consolidation and the establishment of specialized high schools, it is essential to form sufficient social consensus as a prerequisite."
The Ministry of Education is scheduled to announce the results of the "Project for Fostering Schools of Appropriate Size" in November 2025. Prior to this, the Gwangju Metropolitan Office of Education plans to select schools for consolidation in the first half of next year.
Assemblyman Ahn called for: ▲ selecting target schools based on objective data, ▲ forming a multi-party consultative body involving parents, faculty, and local residents, and ▲ preparing measures to minimize any negative effects from consolidation and new school establishment.
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