DISPUTE OVER SPECIAL PURPOSE SCHOOLS

[Anchor Lead]

A few years back, parents of students with disabilities went down on their knees pleading to local residents to allow the opening of a special education school in their neighborhood in Seoul. Such confrontation is an occurring scene whenever a special purpose school is set to be built. Then various benefits and incentives would be doled out to appease local sentiment. Can there be a more fundamental solution?

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​This lush green neighborhood is the site for Dongjin special-ed school scheduled to open in 2024. It's finally happening, 11 years after plans were first established. A decision was reached only when a local cultural center was promised to be built together. This is Seojin School whose story was made into the documentary film “A long way to school.” A lawmaker’s campaign pledge at the time to build a Korean medicine center on the school site drew sharp criticism. The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education also struck a decision that it will cooperate with the center construction if a new site for the school opens up. Parents were enraged, saying schools should not become unpleasant facilities that required provision of favors to be built.

[Soundbite] (From the film “A Long Way to School”) : "It set a very bad precedent of making the establishment of special-ed schools extremely difficult."

Similar settlement processes including favors and benefits have now become a norm for building special-needs schools.

[Soundbite] Jeong Sun-gyeong(Parents association for special-ed schools in Seoul) : "Upon news of a special-ed school coming to town, residents hold surveys on what they need to make demands. This is not right."

The number of students in need of special education grew by 74-hundred in the past 5 years. But during that time 15 more such institutions were made.

[Soundbite] Prof. Kim Yun-tae(Korea University) : "A conflict resolution body must be created legally and institutionally to swiftly hammer out agreements."

The Education Ministry pledged to raise the total number of special-ed schools to 196 by next year. The current count nationwide stands at 182, 14 shy of the target goal.