Gyeongnam Office of Education Focuses on 'Closed School Recycling'... Task Force Formed

The Gyeongnam Office of Education collaborated with local governments and private experts to find ways to utilize 72 closed schools in the province.

Closed schools have been steadily increasing nationwide due to the prolonged low birthrate and the resulting decline in the school-age population.

In response, the provincial Office of Education formed a Closed School Asset Utilization Task Force to efficiently manage the assets of closed schools and held its first meeting on the 1st.

The task force consists of nine members, including professors, experts, local government officials, the president of the Gyeongsangnam-do School Operation Committee Chairpersons Association, and officials from the provincial Office of Education, with the Director of the Administrative Bureau serving as the head.

They plan to identify practical utilization methods for the unused closed schools owned by the Office of Education and provide opinions on related legal amendments.

Gyeongnam Office of Education.
Photo by Lee Seryeong

At the first meeting, the task force shared ▲the current status of closed schools in the Gyeongnam Office of Education ▲related laws and closed school management ▲cases of asset utilization of closed schools in the province ▲utilization cases from other cities and provinces ▲and major projects for 2024, as well as analyzed reasons for unused closed schools and discussed utilization plans.

They watched a video of the unused Tongyeong Hansan Elementary School Bijin Branch and the Hapcheon Gyeongnam Office of Education Misungsan Staff Recreation Center, which was repurposed from a closed school, and exchanged opinions on utilizing unused closed schools.

The Office of Education plans to communicate and collaborate with village communities and local governments regarding closed school utilization contests, reflecting regional characteristics and preparing utilization plans that serve public interests.

Lee Kyung-gu, Director of the Administrative Bureau and head of the task force, said, “Based on the opinions from the task force, we will directly visit local communities to establish closed school utilization models that incorporate field opinions.”

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