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In March this year, Jinan County in North Jeolla Province spent W2 billion (US$1=W926) of its own budget to build a four-story dormitory called in Jeonju city. Students from Jinan county studying in Jeonju can live and study there. Jinan County spent W3.6 billion in various educational projects last year and its per-student spending ranks highest among all of Korea¡¯s 234 regional governments. The county funds only 13 percent of its annual budget, yet it did not hesitate to invest in education.
In 2003, Sunchang County, North Jeolla Province built a similar facility which offers intensive after-school classes to 200 junior and senior high school students who have performed exceptionally well academically. The county brought in qualified teachers from big cities. A stunning achievement of the facility is that 22 of its students have been accepted at prestigious universities in large cities, including Seoul National University. Since it opened, Sunchang County has seen around 300 to 500 new residents move in each year.
Gokseong County, South Jeolla Province, Hapcheon County, South Gyeongsang province, and Asan city, South Chungcheong Province have either refurbished closed-down school buildings or built educational centers to offer intensive, after-school lessons to students. In March, Gimhae City, South Gyeongsang province opened the Gimhae Foreign Language High School. The city provided the W5 billion land to the school at no cost and the school¡¯s principal and teachers receive housing assistance, cars and even performance bonuses. The city has rolled up its sleeves to create a top-notch foreign language school.
Last year, all of the cities, counties and wards in Korea spent W455.1 billion on educational support. That marks a 4.5-fold rise from just W100.3 billion in 2002. Gunpo City, whose educational spending of 2.9 percent accounted for the highest portion of its total budget, surveyed the needs of the 18 schools within its jurisdiction and either created or upgraded cafeterias and restrooms in those schools.
The reason why regional governments are putting so much emphasis on improving their educational environments is because they know that a lack of such conditions leads to an exodus of residents. But the Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development, which spends W31 trillion a year, is simply interested in forcing universities to accept students based on their high school grades rather than College Scholastic Aptitude Test scores. Regional governments are busy trying to keep parents and students from leaving, but the ministry is forcing them to go overseas.
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