Ansan City’s School Sports Facilities Opening Gets Thumbs Up... 90% Citizen Satisfaction

67 Schools Open Gyms, Sports Fields, and Parking Lots
Lee Minguen: "We Will Further Enhance Convenience for Citizens"

More than 9 out of 10 residents of Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, are satisfied with the city’s ongoing initiative to open up school facilities to the public.

On January 6, Ansan City announced that more than 90% of respondents in a satisfaction survey of users of local school facilities reported being satisfied with the program.

This initiative allows citizens to use gyms, sports fields, unused classrooms, and parking lots at local elementary, middle, and high schools after school hours. In the Ansan area, a total of 67 schools have signed agreements with the city to open their facilities, including 37 schools that participated in the program last year.

The survey was conducted online from December 10 to 29 of last year to assess the usage of open school facilities in the second half of the year and to address user inconveniences. The survey targeted users at 54 of the 67 participating schools, excluding those that only opened their parking lots at night.

The results showed a facility usage satisfaction rate of 94.4% and a satisfaction rate for facility operating hours of 90.3%. According to the city, these figures represent a 14% increase in facility satisfaction and a 58% increase in satisfaction with operating hours compared to the first half of last year.

The main improvement requests from users included adjusting or extending operating hours, upgrading infrastructure such as gym lighting, maintaining clean facilities, and installing water dispensers.

Based on the survey results, the city plans to coordinate with individual schools to adjust the facility opening hours, which currently end at 9 p.m. in most cases. The city will also support facility improvements such as replacing gym lights, installing water dispensers, and adding external security lights.

Lee Minguen, Mayor of Ansan, stated, "We will continue to strengthen the convenience and solidarity of the educational community and local society through close cooperation with schools."

Detailed information about the school facility opening program can be found on the Ansan City Hall website under the 'Tourism, Culture, and Sports' section.