Primary school opening highlights S. Korea's birth decline with just 1 student

Jungang Primary School, located in the Dong District of Gwangju City, held its opening ceremony when it welcomed a boy, as the sole first-grade pupil.

The ceremony, attended by Principal Bae Chang-ho, teachers, school staff, and the boy's parents, was held in a cheerful atmosphere. Teachers also showed a video of the boy’s grandparents offering encouragement for his first day of school, Yonhap reported.

Last year, Jungang Primary School had three first-grade students. The school had originally planned to admit three new students this year, but two transferred to a nearby school.

As a result, the boy will receive one-on-one lessons for core subjects such as language arts, while classes like art and physical education will be held with second-grade students.

Established in 1907, the school now has 23 students and nine teachers, including the principal. Under new regulations, schools in South Korea with fewer than 30 students are no longer allowed to appoint vice principals.

Jungang Primary School, once a large institution with 90 classes and 5,000 students in the 1970s and 1980s, has seen a significant drop in enrollment due to urbanization and the national population decline that began in the 2000s. The city’s population has gradually shifted to suburban areas, leading to a dwindling number of students in the city center. Several schools in the area, including Jungang Primary, are now struggling to stay open.

To cope with the declining enrollment, the school has received support from the city’s education office and uses its own budget to provide school supplies and raise funds for scholarships through the alumni association, according to Maeil Business Newspaper.

South Korea’s declining birth rate remains a pressing issue. Although government policies have helped the country’s birth rate rise slightly, from 0.72 in 2023 to 0.75 last year, it is still the lowest in the world, with a rate of 2.1 needed to maintain a stable population.