DistantNews
Support us
🇰🇷 South Korea /Culture & Society

Ansan students face school split: 'Problem if we go, problem if we can't go'

From Hankyoreh · () Korean

Translated from Korean, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Context piece
  • An elementary school in Ansan, South Korea, faces a dilemma as its graduating students may be split between two middle schools due to overcrowding.
  • The issue stems from inaccurate student enrollment predictions by the local education office, leading to an oversized elementary school and a capacity shortage in nearby middle schools.
  • Meanwhile, a neighboring city, Hwaseong, wants its students to attend one of the Ansan middle schools, but local opposition has blocked this proposal, highlighting a broader problem of student distribution in the Gyeonggi Province.

Parents in Ansan are grappling with the prospect of their children being separated from friends as they transition to middle school. Ansan Haesol Elementary School, designed for 1,480 students, now educates nearly 2,000, forcing the local education office to send some graduates to Ansan Marine Middle School, located about 3 kilometers away, instead of the closer Ansan Haesol Middle School.

I'm worried my child will be separated from friends already.

— Lee Hye-yeonA parent expressing concern about the potential separation of her daughter from her classmates due to school reassignment.

Parents like Lee Hye-yeon, whose daughter attends Ansan Haesol Elementary, express concern about the emotional toll on children who might feel singled out. The education office attributes the situation to the elementary school's "mega-school" status, with over 1,900 students, making it impossible for the nearby middle school to accommodate all its graduates. "Some people say it's just three years to endure, but from the children's perspective, they'll feel 'Why was I the only one separated?'" Lee said.

Some people say it's just three years to endure, but from the children's perspective, they'll feel 'Why was I the only one separated?'

— Lee Hye-yeonA parent highlighting the emotional impact of school reassignment on children.

The problem is compounded by past planning failures. The elementary school was built in 2020 for two large apartment complexes, but the education office miscalculated demand, leading to the school's expansion and subsequent capacity issues. Parents argue that the office should have foreseen this, especially since many of the current sixth-graders have attended the school since its opening.

From a legal standpoint, up to 30 minutes by public transport is acceptable for middle school.

— Ansan Education Support Office officialExplaining the administrative and legal perspective on school assignments, contrasting it with parental desires for proximity.

Ironically, residents in Hwaseong's Saesol-dong, which is just across a bridge from Ansan Marine Middle School, wish their children could attend it. Hwaseong has only one middle school for its rapidly growing population. However, opposition from residents near the Ansan middle school led to the rejection of a proposal for a joint school district. This situation reflects a wider trend in Gyeonggi Province, where new developments create overcrowded schools in some areas while others face closures due to declining student numbers.

It's difficult to solve in the short term. We will find and implement structural methods to break the vicious cycle.

— An Min-seokThe Gyeonggi Superintendent of Education acknowledging the complexity of the student distribution issue.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Hankyoreh in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

More Stories

From Our Blog