53 Closed Schools to Be Transformed into "Cultural and Arts Education Spaces"

October 31: Ministry of Education and Ministry of the Interior and Safety Hold Agreement Ceremony for "Closed School Activation"
Number of Closed Schools Increases from 33 Last Year to 53 This Year
Institutional Improvements Planned to Facilitate Ef

The government has decided to transform empty schools, left vacant after students have moved out, into community complexes through inter-ministerial cooperation.

On October 31, the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced that they held the "Central-Local Government Agreement Ceremony for Promoting the Utilization of Closed Schools" at the Seongnam Cultural and Arts Education Center in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province. The event brought together the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, local education offices, and local governments. This agreement was held to strengthen the cooperation system between local governments and education offices for the smooth implementation of the "Plan to Promote the Utilization of Closed Schools," which was jointly prepared by the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety.

The Seongnam Cultural and Arts Education Center, where the agreement ceremony was held, is a facility that was reborn as a dedicated space for cultural and arts education for local residents through cooperation between Seongnam City and the Seongnam Office of Education, after Yeongseong Girls' Middle School was closed in 2017. Similar to "Annantalo" in Helsinki, Finland, where a closed school building is operated as an arts education institution for children and youth, the Seongnam Cultural and Arts Education Center allows the local education office to use the facility free of charge, while the city is responsible for remodeling and operating the facility.

On this day, the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety also announced their joint "Plan to Promote the Utilization of Closed Schools." This plan aims to resolve issues that have hindered the effective use of closed schools, such as building deterioration, the financial burden of acquisition and maintenance, and various regulations. The number of closed schools decreased from 41 in 2022 to 26 in 2023, but increased to 33 last year and 53 this year.

The Ministry of Education and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety included three major measures in the plan: ▲ Support for the utilization of closed schools ▲ Institutional improvements for the utilization of closed schools ▲ Promotion of the active use of closed schools.

First, when local governments use closed schools for the benefit of residents, financial support will be expanded according to the nature of the project, including the Ministry of Education’s school complex facility contest project, special grants, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety’s Local Extinction Response Fund, and special local grants. In addition, an information service on closed school facilities for the public will be provided. The government will also cooperate to utilize closed school facilities in various policy projects, thereby reducing the financial burden on local governments and supporting the maintenance of aging closed schools. When education offices and local governments independently pursue joint projects for the community, they will be able to use special grants from the Ministry of Education and special local grants from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety. Furthermore, a "Closed School Facility Information System" will be established and operated so that local governments and potential users can actively access information about closed school properties.

The government also believes that institutional improvements are necessary to promote the use of closed schools. To this end, it will recommend that education offices establish or revise ordinances on closed school utilization to institutionalize the participation of local residents in the planning process. It will also guide the expansion of the functions of the Local Education Administration Council to facilitate consultation and coordination between education offices and local governments regarding the use of closed schools. In addition, the "Special Act on the Promotion of Utilization of Closed School Properties" (Closed School Utilization Act) will be revised so that, in addition to the six current uses, such as educational facilities, closed schools can also be used as "public or community facilities for local residents" and "integrated care facilities."

Furthermore, the government plans to strengthen training for education office and local government officials, and to actively promote outstanding examples of closed school utilization so that local governments can use closed schools more efficiently and in diverse ways. In particular, starting next year, the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety will jointly host a "Best Practices Contest for Closed School Utilization" to share creative ideas and actual results, thereby further encouraging the active use of closed schools.

Choi Eunok, Vice Minister of Education, stated, "There have been many difficulties in utilizing closed schools in local areas due to local sentiment, financial constraints, and various regulations. Now that this plan to promote the utilization of closed schools has been established through cooperation between the central and local governments, I hope closed schools can be properly used as facilities for local residents."

Kim Minjae, Vice Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, said, "With the number of closed schools gradually increasing both in and outside the Seoul metropolitan area, legal restrictions have made it difficult for local governments to easily utilize closed schools. Through this new plan, we will actively support the transformation of closed schools into spaces that contribute to regional development and improve the quality of life for residents."