By Kim Bo-eun



The chief educator of Seoul pledged Tuesday that all 25 districts in Seoul will have "special needs schools" for disabled children.



The pledge comes amid struggles to establish more schools due to opposition from local residents. Controversy recently erupted as residents of Gangseo-gu, western Seoul, clashed with authorities over plans to set up a special needs school there.



"We plan to establish special needs schools in the eight districts that currently do not have any and also increase classes in regular schools for students with special needs as a means to tackle the shortage of these schools and to expand opportunities for education for disabled students," Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education Superintendent Cho Hee-yeon said in a press conference.



The superintendent said the education office will conduct a survey to find out the demand for special needs schools per district and set up plans accordingly.



Currently, the eight districts without special needs schools are Dongdaemun-gu, Seongdong-gu, Jung-gu, Yongsan-gu, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Yangcheon-gu and Geumcheon-gu.



Procedures are underway for schools to be established in Gangseo-gu and Seocho-gu, which will open in March 2019, and Jungnang-gu, which will open in March 2020.



Seoul Gyeongun School in Jongno-gu, central Seoul, was the last special needs school established in 2002.



Due to the dire lack of schools for students with disabilities, many of the students have had to spend two to three hours a day commuting to a special needs school outside their district.



Data from April shows 2,837 disabled students do not have a special needs school in their district, which comprises 22.2 percent of all students with disabilities. Among them, 25.8 percent are commuting to schools in other districts.



Others have resorted to attending regular schools, but many of them do not have a special needs class.



In order to resolve conflicts with local residents, the education office said where circumstances allow, schools will be built with facilities such as swimming pools and performance stages which local residents can access.



Where it is difficult to secure sites to build the schools, the education office said sites of schools which have closed or moved, or government-owned land could be used.



The education office will also conduct a survey into the demands of special needs classes at regular schools, and provide administrative and financial assistance for opening special needs classes at private schools, where there is a greater lack of such classes.



Currently, there are 138 kindergartens, 94 elementary, 100 middle and 150 high schools without special classes, and 899 disabled students attend these schools.



"We will push for the establishment of special needs schools according to principles and procedures stated by the law, so that the rights of disabled students to education are not violated," Cho said.



