High school seniors clad in traditional attire bow to their teachers and parents during a joint graduation and coming-of-age ceremony at Dongmyung Girls' High School in Seoul, South Korea on Feb 7, 2023. The country will reduce the hiring of new school teachers in double digits for the next four years. (PHOTO / AP)
SEOUL – South Korea will reduce the hiring of new school teachers in double digits for the next four years amid a steep decline in the school-age population, Yonhap News Agency said on Monday citing the education ministry.
The number of new elementary school teachers to be employed in 2024 and 2025 will be between 2,900 and 3,200 respectively, marking a reduction of 10.1-18.6 percent compared to 3,561 hired in 2023. In 2026 and 2027, the number will retreat up to 27.0 percent to a range of 2,600-2,900.
The number of new teachers in middle and high schools to be hired in 2024 and 2025 will reach a range of 4,000-4,500, down 8.1 percent to 18.3 percent from this year's 4,898
The number of new teachers in middle and high schools to be hired in 2024 and 2025 will reach a range of 4,000-4,500, down 8.1 percent to 18.3 percent from this year's 4,898. The target range in 2026 and 2027 will drop up to 28.5 percent to be between 3,500 and 4,000.
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The double-digit decrease came as the school-age population diminished on the low birth rate.
The country's total fertility rate, or the average number of babies that a woman is expected to have during lifetime, has experienced a continuous downward trend for years running, sliding from 1.05 in 2017 to 0.78 in 2022.
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The number of public elementary school students was expected to drop 22.2 percent to 1,976,000 in 2027 compared to 2,539,000 in 2023, while the number of students in public middle and high schools was forecast to fall 0.9 percent to 1,841,000.