Three Small Schools in Gyeongbuk Selected as 'Excellent Rural Schools'... Andong Nokjeon Elementary, Bonghwa Bongseong Elementary, Gyeongju Yangbuk Elementary and Middle

Gyeongbuk Office of Education (Superintendent Lim Jong-sik) announced on the 8th that Nokjeon Elementary School (Andong), Bongseong Elementary School (Bonghwa), and Yangbuk Elementary and Middle School (Gyeongju) were selected as excellent schools in the Ministry of Education’s “2024 Rural Truly Good Schools” contest.

The “Rural Truly Good Schools” contest is a Ministry of Education-led project conducted since 2020 to discover excellent cases of rural schools that operate distinctive educational programs with high satisfaction among the educational community in rural areas.

Teachers and violin ensemble students from Yangbuk Elementary and Middle School in Gyeongju are gathered together for a commemorative photo.

In this contest, among 17 cities and provinces nationwide, Gyeongbuk secured 3 out of 15 excellent schools, proving the excellence of rural education in Gyeongbuk. The Gyeongbuk Office of Education has achieved the result of having 17 schools selected as excellent schools over five years.

Nokjeon Elementary School (Andong), selected as an excellent school this year, is a small school located in a mountainous village north of Andong City. The educational community [school - local government (Institute) - village members] is pooling their full effort (HIM) to create a small but HIP (Harmonious, Intelligent, Possible) school for the children.

They provide personalized education services tailored to each student, supporting individualized growth for all students. They also manage individual student growth evaluation records, strengthen parent feedback, and operate basic academic programs and customized academic programs linked with external experts. Personalized growth support is a great advantage unique to small schools.

Bonghwa Bongseong Elementary School

Bongseong Elementary School in Bonghwa is creating a space for customized future education where everyone participates together within the framework of Bongseong-GPT (Governance - collaborative curriculum operation, Progressive - advancing curriculum operation, Tailored - customized curriculum operation).

In particular, Bongseong Elementary School boasts the “Bongseong Playground,” the only playground in the nation certified as an excellent children’s play facility by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, providing a safe play environment in nature. Outdoor play activities in nature are a privilege for students of small rural schools.

Yangbuk Elementary and Middle School is an integrated elementary and middle school located in Munmu Daewang-myeon, Gyeongju. Despite the lack of urban infrastructure, it operates diverse career exploration and after-school programs to fully support students’ career exploration.

They offer a wide range of experiences such as drone piloting, financial and economic education, and a mini orchestra to expand students’ areas of interest. Especially, the mini orchestra, an artistic activity, draws voluntary participation and growth from students, receiving great support from parents and the educational community. Providing various experiential activities is also a strength of small schools.

Students of Andong Nokjeon Elementary School.

Lim Jong-sik, Superintendent of Gyeongbuk Office of Education, said, “To respond to the decline in the school-age population, we must rediscover the value of small schools and unite the power of local communities.” He added, “Small schools in Gyeongbuk are enhancing educational value by utilizing distinctive programs and local resources. This selection as excellent schools is a recognition of these efforts, and we will continue to widely share and develop these excellent cases.”

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