Teachers urged to apply for rural areas

The education ministry has proposed that students at teachers colleges in provincial areas apply for positions in the areas where they live as a means to resolve the oversupply of teachers.

Education Minister Kim Sang-kon proposed this in an announcement following a meeting with superintendents of regional education offices in Seoul on Tuesday.

There has been a strong backlash from students at teachers colleges after nationwide education offices said last month there would be drastic cuts in teacher recruitment for next year in many regions, especially Seoul.

The reduction reflects the decreasing student population due to the low birthrate.

However, there is a severe imbalance in supply and demand of teachers according to region.

While most aspiring teachers wish to earn a position in Seoul and its surrounding cities, provincial areas face a shortage of teachers.

According to ministry data, the provinces of Gangwon, North and South Chungcheong, South Jeolla and North Gyeongsang saw a shortage of applications in the past three years.

In addition, even for teachers who applied for provincial areas for their certification exam this year, 64.3 percent of them relocated to the greater Seoul area. The government will provide incentives such as providing extra points in the certification exam to encourage aspiring teachers to apply for rural areas.

At the same time, the government said it would draw up a task force to establish long-term plans to stabilize the supply of teachers.