Low birthrate makes way into schools

Students at Daeeun Elementary School in Eunpyeonggu, Seoul, clap their hands with each other on the first day of school after the winter vacation, last Monday. The number of new students starting school has dropped dramatically this year, leaving many schools to engage in programs and promotional events to recruit more pupils. / Korea Times

By Han Sang-hee

Korea’s birthrate _ one of the lowest in the world _ is having an impact on the number of students entering primary and secondary schools, leaving the student to teacher ratio about 60 percent lower than three decades ago.

According to the state-sponsored Korean Educational Development Institute (KEDI), the number of students per teacher fell to 18.7 at elementary schools in 2010 from 47.5 in 1980. The figure also dropped to 18.2 for middle schools from 45.1, and 18.2 for high schools from 33.3.

“The fall reflects the extremely low birthrate and the sharp gains in the number of teachers between 2002 and 2003 as part of the government’s policy to promote the educational environment,” an official from the institute said.

However, KEDI noted that the number of students a teacher is responsible for in one class still remains high compared to other countries in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The OECD average stood at 16 for elementary schools, 13.2 for middle school and 12.5 at high schools.

While Korea measures the number of the entire faculty including those who do not participate in the teaching process including principals, the international index only includes teachers who actually take part in teaching.

When calculated this way, the figures for South Korea rises to 21.1 (elementary school), 19.6 (middle school) and 16.5 (high school).

Education costs too high

Ministry officials say that a further fall in the number of students is unavoidable as the country’s birthrate is unlikely to show any marked rebound, a prospect that will drastically change the country’s education landscape. Korea’s birthrate stands at 1.24.

The reasons for the low birthrate vary but the expense of private education tops the list. The institute’s survey of more than 2,500 households showed that about 43 percent of Korean parents said they gave up having a second child due to education expenses.

It also showed that 99.8 percent of preschoolers aged over three were receiving private education at a monthly cost of 440,000 won on average, including kindergarten fees.

Not surprisingly, when asked if the high private education was one of the main reasons for the low birthrate, 95.8 percent of the parents answered yes.

Lack of newcomers

According to the Jungbu District Office of Education in Seoul, the number of new students starting school this year has dropped dramatically.

Kyodong Elementary School in Jongno, which has some 100 students in total, will admit only seven new students this year, a drop from the 12 in 2010 and 15 in 2009.

Jaedong Elementary School, also in Jongno, which had some 830 graduates in 1970, also saw a fall in graduates with only 70 this year. The school expects to register 38 new students.

Other schools around the region, including Maedong Elementary School and Chungmu Elementary School, have also seen a decrease in the number of new students, a phenomenon witnessed in some Seoul districts which have been hollowed out as a growing number of residents move to the outskirts of the capital.

With the decreasing number of students, more schools face difficulties in running school events including field trips and sporting activities, not to mention worries regarding social relations between peers and also the possibility of closing down permanently.

Namsan Elementary, which welcomed only 30 students for the past two years, started to promote their school in banks, kindergartens, department stores and hospitals with fliers, and has also began an ``eight to nine care center’’ where the school takes care of students with parents who both work from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Schools are engaging in competition with other neighboring institutions to attract parents and their children.

교사 1인당 학생수 30년전 대비 40% 수준

초•중•고등학교 교사 한 명이 담당하는 학생수가 30년 전과 비교해 40% 수준까지 떨어진 것으로 분석됐다.

6일 한국교육개발원이 작성한 2010년 교육통계분석 자료집에 따르면, 2010년을 기준으로 우리나라의 교사 1인당 학생수는 유치원 14.8명, 초등학교 18.7명, 중학교 18.2명, 고등학교 15.5명으로 집계됐다.

고교의 경우 일반계고는 16.5명, 전문계고는 13.1명이다.

이같은 수치는 20년 전인 1980년과 비교하면 초 61%, 중 61%, 고 54% 이상 줄어든 것이다.

1980년도 교원 1인당 학생수는 유 19.9명, 초 47.5명, 중 45.1명, 고 33.3명 등이었다.

특히 서울지역의 2010년도 교원 1인당 학생 수는 2009년 20.6명과 비교할 때 0.9명 줄어든 19.3명으로 사상 처음 `10명대'에 진입했다.

교육개발원은 "저출산에 따른 학령인구의 감소와 2001년 7.20 교육여건개선사업에 의해 2002~2003년 초•중학교 교원이 대폭 증가한 것이 주요 원인"이라고 분석했다.

지역규모별로는 특별•광역시와 중소도시가 각각 18.0명, 19.0명으로 읍•면(13.3명), 도서지역(9.8명)보다 많았다.

최소한 초등교원 1인당 학생 수(18.7명)만 보면 OECD(경제협력개발기구) 수준(초 16명, 중 13.2명, 고 12.5명)에 근접한 듯 보이지만 실제로는 여전히 격차가 존재한다고 교육개발원은 지적했다.

우리나라는 교원 1인당 학생 수를 산출할 때 교원의 범주에 학생의 학습과정에 직접 참여하지 않는 교장•교감•보건교사 등 비전문 교사까지 포함하지만, OECD 국제지표는 수업을 직접 담당하는 교원만으로 수치를 산출하기 때문이다.

수업담당 교원만을 대상으로 2010년 교원 1인당 학생수를 산출하면 초 21.1명, 중 19.6명, 고 16.5명 등으로 OECD 평균과는 각각 5.1명, 6.4명, 4명 등의 격차가 커진다.