Jeonnam Provincial Office of Education Expands Operation of 'Jeonnam-type Integrated Schools'

Jeonnam Provincial Office of Education

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Jun-kyung] The Jeonnam Provincial Office of Education is expanding the operation of integrated elementary-middle and middle-high schools to strengthen the educational capacity of small schools in farming and fishing villages.

According to the Jeonnam Provincial Office of Education on the 17th, due to declining birth rates and a decrease in the school-age population, the number of small schools has steadily increased, with 43.3% (380 schools) of the total 877 elementary, middle, and high schools in the province having fewer than 60 students.

Accordingly, the Office of Education plans to propose necessary institutional improvements and support measures for expanding the operation of integrated schools at a meeting between Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Yoo Eun-hye and the Honam region city and provincial superintendents of education to be held in Suncheon on the 21st.

At this meeting, they plan to emphasize the need to revise the “Elementary and Secondary Education Act Enforcement Decree” to allow affiliated teachers to guide both curriculum and creative experiential activities when operating integrated schools, as well as the necessity of incentives for faculty and staff working at integrated schools.

Current legal limitations on teacher placement based on elementary and secondary certifications, reluctance of multi-certified teachers to take on additional duties due to excessive workload, and insufficient guidelines for organizing and operating integrated curricula have been pointed out as factors hindering the expansion of integrated school operations.

The Office of Education is operating the “Jeonnam-type Integrated School,” which integrates two schools of different levels to share and utilize human and material resources, in order to overcome these realities and strengthen the educational capacity of small schools.

Currently, 12 schools in Jeonnam operate integrated elementary-middle and middle-high school programs, but considering the increasing trend of small schools, the Office of Education believes this should be further expanded. They also plan to promote the expansion of integrated school operations based on the understanding and cooperation of school members and local communities in response to changes in the educational environment such as declining student numbers.

To this end, they plan to foster future-oriented schools with school space innovation and infinite imagination rooms, and develop small but strong “Gangso Schools” rather than simply consolidating small schools.

Oh Jun-kyung, Director of Administration, said, “If integrated schools operating across elementary-middle and middle-high curricula expand, it will be possible to maintain appropriate educational conditions and offer diverse educational activities, bringing hope to Jeonnam education, which has many small schools in farming and fishing villages.”

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