- Gangwon Province completes 2026 preliminary school enrollment with a participation rate of over 92% across 351 elementary schools.
- Enrollment drive focuses on child safety and tracking, using in-person visits, home checks, and virtual options to confirm each child’s whereabouts.
- Authorities launch follow-up action for eight unverified children, coordinating with local governments and police to ensure their safety.
The Gangwon Special Self-Governing Provincial Office of Education announced on January 9 that it successfully completed preliminary enrollment sessions for children eligible to enter elementary school in the 2026 academic year, recording a participation rate of over 92 percent. The sessions were held between January 2 and January 6 across 351 elementary schools in the province as part of an annual effort to confirm the whereabouts and safety of prospective first-grade students.
According to the provincial office, a total of 8,584 children were eligible for enrollment this year, of whom 7,923 participated in the preliminary process, resulting in a participation rate of 92.3 percent. The preliminary enrollment system is designed not only to prepare schools administratively for incoming students but also to serve as an important safeguard to ensure that all school-age children are safe and accounted for ahead of the academic year.
In principle, the enrollment sessions were conducted through in-person visits, with children and their guardians attending the designated elementary schools. However, acknowledging that some families face practical difficulties, schools adopted flexible approaches where necessary. These included individual home visits, alternative appointment schedules, and video calls, allowing schools to reduce the burden on parents while still fulfilling the core objective of confirming each child’s status.
Special consideration was given to dual-income households and families with limited availability during regular working hours. To improve accessibility, every school operated the preliminary enrollment process for a minimum of two days and extended operating hours until 8 p.m. This adjustment, the office said, was aimed at ensuring that no child was excluded due to time constraints faced by parents or guardians.
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Despite the high participation rate, the whereabouts of eight children who did not take part in the preliminary enrollment could not be immediately confirmed as of January 8. The Gangwon Provincial Office of Education stated that it is currently coordinating closely with local governments and the police to verify the safety and location of these children. Officials emphasized that this follow-up process is treated with utmost seriousness and urgency.
Each year, children who do not participate in preliminary enrollment are tracked through a step-by-step verification process, including phone calls to guardians, home visits by school officials, and formal requests for school visits. This year, the office plans to further strengthen collaboration with relevant agencies and, where necessary, request police investigations to ensure no child is left unaccounted for.
Kim Namhak, Director of Administration at the Gangwon Special Self-Governing Provincial Office of Education, said the process goes far beyond paperwork. “Preliminary enrollment is not merely an administrative procedure, but a very important process to confirm children’s safety”, he said. He added that the education office will “take full responsibility to ensure that all children eligible for school entry can safely enroll in school”, underscoring the province’s commitment to student welfare from the very first step of their educational journey.
