The alma mater of President Lee Jae-myung, Wolgok Elementary School's Samgye Branch in Yean-myeon, Andong City, North Gyeongsang Province, will close on September 1.
According to Yonhap News on the 26th, this school will disappear into history after 67 years.
Wolgok Elementary School's Samgye Branch was established in 1954 and was elevated to Samgye National Primary School in 1957. After September 1999, it was merged with the main school.
At one time, the school thrived and even had over 70 sixth-grade students in 1976.
However, due to a sharp decline in the school-age population in the nearby area, it has not admitted any new students since 2021, ultimately leading to its unavoidable closure.
On the morning of the 25th, the school’s only student, 12-year-old Kim Ji-i, and her homeroom teacher, Jeon Jae-jun, 42, conducted the final class.
Their last class together was an advanced social studies lesson on the characteristics of our country's trade.
A school kept by a single student, and the final class
After finishing the last lesson, Kim Ji-i expressed her regret, saying, "It makes me sad to think that the school I have attended since the first grade will soon be gone."
She said, "As my friends left one by one, I was the only one left," unable to hide her loneliness. However, Kim also expressed her pride, stating, "I am proud that the president is an alumnus of this school," and shared her determination to work harder as a junior.
Kim plans to continue her studies at the main Wolgok Elementary School starting from the second semester. However, the main school also has only 6 students, highlighting the reality of small rural schools.
In North Gyeongsang Province, a total of seven schools and kindergartens will close this September. Targets include the Mungyeong Sanbuk Elementary School's Changgu Branch kindergarten, Uiseong Danmil Elementary School's kindergarten, and Seongju Yongam Elementary School's kindergarten.
The nationwide crisis of school closures… The shadow of low birth rates
Recently, due to the severe low birth rate, the school-age population has plummeted, putting even schools with over a century of history at risk of closure.
On the 4th, a "one-student entrance ceremony" took place at Gwangju Dong-gu Jungang Elementary School, drawing attention as only a single student enrolled.
According to data submitted to the National Assembly's Education Committee by MP Jin Sun-mi of the Democratic Party in February, among the school closure status reports from the 17 city and provincial education offices across the country, 49 schools (elementary, middle, and high schools) are scheduled to close this year.
In 2020, there were 33 closures, 24 in 2021, 25 in 2022, and 22 in 2023, showing a declining trend. However, there was a sudden increase to 33 last year, with this year showing even more closures expected.
Image source: News1, illustrative photo for understanding the article / gettyimagesbank, the "one-student entrance ceremony" at Gwangju Jungang Elementary School on March 4, where a single new student enrolled. / Gwangju Education Office
