According to a report last year by the Korea Educational Development Institute, the average reading score of students attending high schools in the Seoul metropolitan area and small to mid-size cities were between 58.03 to 63.18 points, but students in schools in rural areas scored 44.8. In math, students in metropolitan areas scored between 49.39 to 51.69 points, while students in rural areas scored 33.57. With discrepancies this wide, it's no wonder families living in the countryside are forced to pack up and move to cities for the sake of their children's education. When you look at foreign language high schools, 16 out of the nation's 30 are located in the Seoul area. Rural regions are stuck in a vicious cycle of poor educational conditions leading to economic decline, which in turn leads to poorer educational levels.

Parents and their children would go to rural areas if they had good schools. At Daegeon High School in Nonsan, South Chungcheong Province, 80 percent of the students live at the school and study into early hours of the morning. The school has been cited as a model case of success among member nations of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Students at that school don't go to private crammers or receive other private lessons outside of school. They move around to different classes and are grouped according to their academic levels. Each year more than 70 of the school's graduates enter prestigious universities. Hanil High School in Gongju, South Chungcheong Province, is located deep in the mountains, but all of its students live and study there, debating late into the night and gathering into study groups. Students flock to that school from around the country.

The 88 boarding schools must be nurtured so they can grow into the next Daegeon and Hanil high schools. When you think of students in rural areas who have no private crammers to attend after school, boarding schools are a must. And not just boarding schools; able teachers must be appointed as well so that they can provide a wide range of learning programs. With so much time spent at school, quality facilities must also be built for sports, cafeterias and libraries.

No matter how many innovative cities or enterprise cities the government builds, parents won't go to them unless there are good schools for their children. Balanced national development cannot be achieved simply by building factories in rural areas. Quality schools must also be built so that the entire region will receive a breath of fresh air. And rural regions should not rely on the government; rather, regional governments and leaders must come together and try to build quality schools.