South Korea Predicts Sharp Fall in Class Sizes Due to Falling Birth Rates
A civil society organization in South Korea, the Good Teachers Movement, which aims to enhance the quality of education and provide better educational opportunities for students, predicts that the number of students in primary school classes could drop to single digits within the next decade due to low birth rates.
The Good Teachers Movement shared its projections, based on data from Statistics Korea, the country’s official statistical agency, released last June, at a forum discussing low birth rates and educational reforms.
According to their forecasts, the current average class size of 21.1 could drop to 9.3 by 2033, 5.5 by 2060, and 2.7 by 2070. Educators highlight the potential negative consequences of this situation, such as school closures and teacher layoffs.
In the presentation, it was emphasized that the rapid decline in student numbers is a concerning development. The population decrease could lead to the simultaneous collapse of all long-maintained systems. Therefore, measures must be taken to address the decline in the student population.
Click here for the source.
