The main factor in affecting the quality and scale of each elementary school is to decide how to plan the accommodation of students although there are so many factors. The fast economic development in 1970s has left many problems in korean educational...
The main factor in affecting the quality and scale of each elementary school is to decide how to plan the accommodation of students although there are so many factors. The fast economic development in 1970s has left many problems in korean educational atmosphere. In the urban areas, it has brought about the serious problems like overpopulation in classes and over-expansion of schools' size. On the other hand, in rural areas, it has also brought about problems like very small-sized schools, because of the decrease in schoolchildren, which has made the serious problems in school administration. In the IMF situation, that problems must be solved, and the administrative action on merger and abolition of small sized schools would be a reasonable method.
The causes of M & A is, on the face of educational situation. that combined classes have been increased in the numbers of classes, schools and students, even though these are considered as unusual.
As compared 1982 to 1997 in combined class systems, number of schools has been increased from 104(1982) to 343(1997), that of classes from 246(1982) to 742(1997), that of students from 2744(1982) to 7631(1997). On the other hand, the population of Kyongbuk province has been decreased from 3,176,519(1982) to 2,797,202(1997), which shows 12% decrease, and the number of students in that province has also been decreased from 452,832(1982) to 214,473(1997), which shows 53% decrease. The regions which show the most decreasing rate are agricultural area at the northern part and fishing area at the eastern coast region. And also the small sized schools are increasing at these regions.
Those small-sized schools have brought about abnormality in the control of curricula and insufficiency in sociality as to the educational situation. These have also brought about inefficiency in human and financial resources. These bad results make us execute the merger and abolition of small-sized schools.
Why do we need the merger and abolition of small sized schools ? With regard to the educational situation, The students' educational achievement at small-sized schools is less than that at urban areas. The some reports examining for students' scholastic achievement has showed this tendency directly. With regard to the other point of view, the average educational fee per student at small-sized schools are 4 or 5 times more than that at Pohang city(rural area). So we may conclude that we have to do it for getting efficiency in resource distribution better result in students' scholastic achievement.
Through the M & A of small-sized schools 578 schools have been closed from 1982 to 1997. The results of the M & A can be summarize as follows:
It has resulted in improvement of sociality and educational atmosphere (self-feeding system) because of adequate number of students. The curricula of schools have been reasonable because of the abolition of combined classes. 352 schools, 943 classes and 6507 students are exempted from combined classes.
The management cost at each school have been saved in the amount of 540 billion won until 1997.
The educational cost per student has increased from 1.5 to 18.5 million won for each school it has saved government expenditure(67.9 billion won).
It has reduced 1,182 leaders in elementary schools and saved 2,970 billion won per year for personnel expenditure.
Finally, in order to develop the administration on the merger and abolition of small sized schools we need to legitimize it. With regard to efficiency, we also need to do the merger and abolition of small-sized private schools and educational administrative offices to reduce deputy principal and the obligatory assignment for small-sized schools' principals or deputy principals. And also the neighbors who live near small sized schools must be able to take advantage of the closed school freely at their convenience, and the M & A administration must be proceeded based on the cansensus of inhabitants. For equality, We have to decrease the differences in criteria on the merger and abolition between regions, and that we have to try to decrease educational variations between the regions. And also We have to minimize economic loss by transferring educational functions to regional organizations.