Gwangyang City and Jeonnam Office of Education Sign Agreement for New Elementary School in Wau District

Targeting March 2023 Opening, City Government to Contribute 1.39 Billion Won of 27.8 Billion Won Construction Cost

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Hyung-kwon] Gwangyang City and the Jeollanam-do Office of Education signed a business agreement on the 12th for the establishment of the (tentative name) Wau Elementary School within the Wau District.

This agreement was reached based on the consensus that an elementary school capable of accommodating the increasing number of students is necessary, as the Wau District urban development project establishes a residential base for approximately 3,620 households and 9,777 people, and large-scale apartment complexes totaling 2,854 households, including Dongmun Good Morning Hill, LH Happy Housing, and Joongheung Construction, are being built.

Initially, the Jeollanam-do Office of Education was negative about establishing a new school, citing regulations that a school can only be established if there are more than 4,000 to 6,000 apartment households.

However, accepting Gwangyang City's opinion that if a school is not established, students in the Wau District would have to commute long distances to Jungdong Elementary School, which is 2.9 km away, posing significant safety risks for young students, the decision was made to build the school.

According to the agreement, Gwangyang City will support 5% of the school construction cost of 27.8 billion KRW, amounting to 1.39 billion KRW, while the Jeollanam-do Office of Education, Dongmun Construction, and Joongheung Construction will share the remaining 95%.

With the cost-sharing details finalized, the Jeollanam-do Office of Education plans to submit the school construction approval proposal to the Jeollanam-do Council in February next year, proceed with preliminary administrative procedures such as detailed design services, and open the school in March 2023.

The facility will have a total of 24 classes, with 4 classes per grade, and auxiliary facilities such as a multipurpose auditorium, cafeteria, playground, and underground parking lot will be installed.

Kim Mi-ran, Director of Education and Childcare, said, “The establishment of the (tentative name) Wau Elementary School is expected to greatly help not only ensure the safe commuting rights of students but also the early revitalization of the Wau and Madong districts,” adding, “We will actively cooperate with the Jeollanam-do Office of Education to ensure the school is built as planned.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.