Reconstruction move-ins fuel surge in demand; first-choice competition ratio jumps from 1.14-to-1 to 7.86-to-1
Lawmaker calls for at least 3 new classes; education superintendent says expansion is possible
Temporary teachers proposed to address staffing gap; credit system disparities also raised
Plans to expand classes at Jamsil High School in Songpa-gu, Seoul, are moving forward. The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education has officially signaled its intention to add classes, raising hopes among local parents who have long pushed for the change amid a sharp rise in student demand driven by residents moving into newly reconstructed apartment complexes.
Yun Yu-jin, a People Power Party member of the Seoul Metropolitan Council's education committee representing Songpa District 1, said Wednesday that she had secured a positive response from Seoul education superintendent Jeong Geun-sik during an administrative audit of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education held Tuesday.
At the audit, Yun presented specific figures on the shift in demand at Jamsil High School and called for at least three additional incoming classes starting in the 2027 school year. Jeong said the office would proceed with the expansion, adding that it would review what was feasible before announcing the exact number of classes to be added.
The push for more classes stems from a rapid demographic shift around the school. As large-scale reconstruction projects have wrapped up and residents have begun moving in, student demand — which had fallen during the years of displacement — is climbing again.
Data presented by Yun showed that the first-round, first-choice application ratio at Jamsil High School jumped from 1.14-to-1 for the 2025 school year to 7.86-to-1 for the 2026 school year. The population of Jamsil 4-dong, which had held steady at around 22,000 for years, has grown to roughly 34,000 this year. The figures point to residential changes translating directly into intensified competition for high school spots.
Yun said it was only reasonable to restore class sizes to their previous levels now that residents had returned, given that the original reduction had been justified by the drop in student numbers during the reconstruction-era relocations.
Yun also highlighted views raised at a parent forum on expanding Jamsil High School classes held at the Seoul Metropolitan Council on Oct. 23, saying the effort was not simply about adding classes but about restoring normal educational conditions in the community.
A parent representative at that forum had described the expansion as a "restoration, not an expansion." Jeong said he found that framing valid.
However, securing enough teachers remains a practical hurdle. Jeong explained the staffing ratios required per class and the government's teacher quota management system, acknowledging that the education office faces real constraints in independently hiring additional permanent teachers.
In response, Yun asked the office to actively explore alternatives within its authority — including the temporary deployment of contract teachers while permanent hires are arranged — so that the staffing quota issue would not delay the class expansion.
The audit also took up the educational conditions facing smaller schools under the high school credit system and the new five-tier internal grading system.
Yun said smaller schools face a structural disadvantage: with fewer teachers, the range of elective courses students can take is limited, and enrollment per course shrinks. In low-enrollment courses in particular, a difference of one or two students can shift the number eligible for top grades, adding pressure on students and parents alike.
The concern points to a broader issue beyond any single school's class count — the need to improve educational conditions so that students receive adequate course options and fair assessment opportunities regardless of school size.
Yun has consistently raised the need to expand classes at Jamsil High School through five-minute floor speeches at the full council, education committee briefings and community meetings. Last month, she hosted a parent forum to gather community input and press the education office for a concrete plan.
With the superintendent's commitment to expansion now on record, the remaining questions are how many classes will be added, how teachers will be secured and whether the changes will take effect for the 2027 school year.
"Getting a firm commitment from the superintendent on expanding classes at Jamsil High School is a major win," Yun said. "I will see this through to make sure the expansion happens at the scale parents are asking for."
7toy7@heraldcorp.com
