South Korea to boost incentives for small school mergers, remove parental consent

South Korea's Ministry of Education is set to accelerate the consolidation of small schools by significantly boosting financial incentives and removing procedural hurdles. The plan includes increasing the incentive package for merging elementary schools by up to 7.5 billion won (approximately $5.4 million USD) and for middle and high schools to 13 billion won ($9.4 million USD).

Furthermore, the ministry is abolishing the existing "Guidelines for Nurturing Appropriately Sized Schools and Reorganizing Branch Campuses," established in 2015. This move grants local education offices greater autonomy to set school size standards and merger procedures based on regional conditions. Crucially, the requirement for parental consent from a majority of parents for school mergers will be eliminated, streamlining the consolidation process.

The policy shift is a direct response to the rapid increase in small schools, which now constitute over 31% of all schools nationwide, a figure that rises to over 60% in areas with declining populations. The ministry argues that small schools face limitations in teacher recruitment, course offerings, and student interaction, impacting educational diversity and opportunities. They also contend that weak educational infrastructure in these schools can exacerbate regional decline.

In parallel, the ministry is launching a "Leading Region for Educational Innovation" initiative. This program will support 40 selected regions with substantial funding, aiming to create customized educational ecosystems through collaboration between education offices, local governments, and communities. The goal is to enhance educational quality, reduce disparities, and strengthen the link between education and local industries, ultimately fostering vibrant learning environments within communities.

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The core of school innovation is not reducing the number of schools, but improving the quality of education.