Is There No Way to Protect Rural Schools Amid Declining School-Age Population?… Launch of 'Gyeongbuk-Type Residential School' Model Study

Final Report Expected in October

The Gyeongbuk Office of Education (Superintendent Lim Jong-sik) announced on the 14th that it held a policy research kickoff meeting at the Gyeongsangbuk-do Education Research Institute in Andong City and will actively promote research on the ‘Gyeongbuk-type Jeongju School’ model to respond to the era of declining school-age population.

This research involves doctoral-level education experts from universities and schools and will be conducted until October. It plans to develop a new school model tailored to regional characteristics through analysis of domestic and international cases and gathering opinions from the educational community.

The policy research kickoff meeting to find a 'Gyeongbuk-type Residential School' model is being held.

Jeongju Schools refer to schools established so that students and parents do not have to leave the region for education and can receive excellent education locally. This is one of the core tasks of the 2023?2026 Gyeongbuk Future Education Plan promoted by the Gyeongbuk Office of Education. Through this policy research, a concrete model will be developed and pilot operations will be pursued.

At the kickoff meeting, there was a consensus that the decline in the school-age population is not just a problem for specific regions or schools but a significant issue that changes the entire educational ecosystem. While existing education policies generalized best practices, it was agreed that now is the time to discover optimal education models reflecting regional characteristics and the actual conditions of schools.

The research team plans to specify the ‘Gyeongbuk-type Jeongju School’ into ‘Passive Jeongju Schools’ (schools with educational capacity that allow students not to leave the region for education) and ‘Active Jeongju Schools’ (schools with educational capacity that attract students to the Gyeongbuk region for education).

The research will proceed in stages including macro-environment analysis due to the declining school-age population, redefining the role of schools, developing the Gyeongbuk-type Jeongju School model, preparing policies and support measures for fostering Jeongju Schools, and applying and executing research on Jeongju Schools. In particular, surveys on the role of schools will be conducted targeting students, parents, faculty, and local residents, along with in-depth interviews on phased pilot operations of Jeongju Schools to collect opinions. The validity of the model will be reviewed through expert Delphi surveys and workshops.

In August and September, one or two elementary schools will be selected to pilot the Gyeongbuk-type Jeongju School model. This will review feasibility and allow for revisions and improvements reflecting the opinions of the educational community. Additionally, based on the research results, support policies at the education office level will be established, and measures to expand Jeongju Schools will be proposed. This research will conclude with the submission of the final report in October.

Superintendent Lim Jong-sik of the Gyeongbuk Office of Education stated, “We will solidly promote policy research on ‘Jeongju Schools’ and pilot school operations so that schools in Gyeongbuk can strengthen their educational capacity by leveraging their unique characteristics and lead future society.” He added, “We will realize regional educational settlement by strengthening Aurem Schools that connect Gyeongbuk’s schools vertically and horizontally.”

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