▲ Ministry of Education
The government will provide up to 4 billion KRW annually to 43 regions nationwide to revive small schools facing crises due to a declining school-age population and to bridge regional education gaps.
The Ministry of Education announced on November 3 that it has selected 32 population-declining regions and 11 regions requiring education gap resolution as the "2027 Education Innovation Leading Regions."
The Education Innovation Leading Region project aims to build upon the achievements of the "Education Special Zones" running as a pilot project from 2024 through the end of this year while supplementing their limitations.
Education Innovation Leading Regions are divided into Type 1 and Type 2.
Type 1 applies to cities and counties that are experiencing or at risk of population decline, with a mandatory task of establishing a local educational ecosystem through the innovation of small schools.
A total of 32 regions have been selected for Type 1, including Yeoncheon-gun in Gyeonggi Province, Gangneung-si in Gangwon Province, Geumsan-gun in South Chungcheong Province, Namhae-gun in South Gyeongsang Province, and Gunwi-gun in Daegu.
These regions will each receive a budget of up to 2 billion KRW annually.
The Ministry of Education explained, "Among the 32 Type 1 regions, about 22 have submitted school consolidation plans," adding, "Several regions were also selected that, even without school consolidation, designed well-structured plans from the perspective of the educational ecosystem tailored to their local conditions."
Type 2 covers non-capital basic and metropolitan local governments or border regions in the capital area.
The mandatory tasks are to alleviate regional education gaps and strengthen education linked to universities and industries.
The 11 regions selected for Type 2 include Yangju-si in Gyeonggi Province, Chuncheon-si in Gangwon Province, Gumi-si in North Gyeongsang Province, Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated City, Busan Metropolitan City, and Daegu Metropolitan City.
Among them, up to 2 billion KRW will be injected annually into basic local governments, and up to 4 billion KRW annually into metropolitan local governments.
For both types, the maximum period for budget support is 5 years, structured as an initial 3-year support followed by an additional 2 years upon passing a stage evaluation.
The Ministry of Education stated, "The project budget will be funded through special local grants, with next year's allocated amount standing at 86 billion KRW."
The Ministry of Education will finalize the designation results in November after an objection procedure.
The finally selected regions must submit more detailed and advanced operational plans by December after receiving consultation from an expert advisory group (consulting team).
This project will be implemented starting next January.
(Photo provided by the Ministry of Education, Yonhap News)
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