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Once under capacity, now a national ’school of excellence’
At Hamyang High School, Hamyang County, South Gyeongsang Province, a new dormitory is under construction. The school, located in a mountain village in a town whose population is about 40,000, is full of newfound energy these days. Just a few years ago, the student quota for the operation of the school was not being reached. The reason? In 2003, up to 25 percent of third junior high schoolers in Hamyang County made the long journey each day to attend high schools located in neighboring cities. Hamyang High’s reputation was poor. Parents of middle school students always had to agonize over where to send their children when they entered high school. The situation began to turn around in 2004, and the percentage of area students avoiding Hamyang High School decreased to 15 percent. Since Hamyang High School began to be recognized as a "good school," this percentage continues to get smaller.Gang A-ram, 17, a junior, transferred to Hamyang High School without hesitation. She had two main reasons when she chose the school. First, the school had a dormitory, so she did not have to make the 50-minute commute from her village. Second, when she selects a university, she will qualify for a special admissions screening system for students from agricultural and fishery villages, giving her a better chance at a top spot. "I am satisfied because this school provides students with better living conditions and academic atmosphere than urban schools, whose students must commute long distances," she said. Hamyang High School began its transformation in 2002 when Park Gi-ju, its principal, launched a movement to simply make it a ’good school.’ The school and the local community cooperated on the drive under the thought that a community can survive only if it has a good school. The county governor, Cheon Sa-ryeong, in three years was able to raise 3 billion won (about US$3 million) from current and former residents and outside donors to start a Hamyang County scholarship foundation. The school constructed a dormitory supported by the foundation in 2004 and sought to attract students by expanding its scholarship system. As an increasing number of excellent students began to choose the school, it gained a high-level academic atmosphere. Its vice-schoolmaster, Jeong Sang-yeong, slept at the school dormitory for three days each week, and seven teachers live there permanently. Teachers provide special after-school lessons for eight hours a week. As the students recently posted high marks on their college entrance examinations, students not only from Hamyang County but also from neighboring regions began to attend the school. By virtue of such good performance, the school was selected as a school of excellence by the Ministry of Education and Human Resources, and received financial support of 1.63 billion won last year. The school began to build a new dormitory and provided electronic media equipment to each classroom. Every classroom has a library with over 300 books. The students, however, wish to have native English-speaking teachers. One came last year, but left the school after six months, saying that life out in the country was uncomfortable. Assistant principal Jeong said, "Our goal is to provide proper education so that local residents can send their children to the school with confidence." These days, Hamyang High School’s dormitory, with its students studying diligently, is lit until late at night.
