2022年12月15日 VOA慢速英语：韩国农村学校欢迎首尔学生

 

In the 1970s, more than 800 students filled the classrooms of Cheontae Elementary School in rural Hwasun County. The school is set among a group of small villages and rice farms in southwestern South Korea.
在 1970 年代，和顺县农村的天泰小学的教室里挤满了 800 多名学生。这所学校位于韩国西南部的一群小村庄和稻田之间。
 
By 2021, the school's population had dropped to just 24 students. Without intervention, local officials said, Cheontae Elementary could soon close.
到 2021 年，学校的学生人数下降到只有 24 名学生。当地官员表示，如果不进行干预，Cheontae 小学可能很快就会关闭。
 
The large decrease is the result of both South Korea's falling birth rate and fast urbanization that has sent huge numbers of young people to the city for better jobs.
大幅下降是韩国出生率下降和快速城市化的结果，这使得大量年轻人到城市寻找更好的工作。
 
The situation is the same for many schools across South Korea. Since 1982, more than 3,800 schools nationwide have shut down because of a lack of students. Most of the closures have happened in rural areas.
韩国很多学校的情况都是一样的。自1982年以来，全国已有3800多所学校因生源不足而停课。大多数关闭发生在农村地区。
 
In Dojang, a small village about a five-minute drive from Cheontae Elementary, locals understand that their community is on the edge of extinction.
在距离 Cheontae 小学约五分钟车程的小村庄 Dojang，当地人知道他们的社区正处于灭绝的边缘。
 
"People in their 60s and 70s are considered young here," said 82-year-old Moon Gyeongga. "There is not a single child in this village. Everyone with kids leaves for the city," Moon added.
“60 多岁和 70 多岁的人在这里被认为是年轻人，”82 岁的 Moon Gyeongga 说。“这个村子里没有一个孩子。每个有孩子的人都去城里了，”穆恩补充道。
 
If the community loses its school, there would be almost no hope of bringing in young families. That is why Cheontae Elementary recently began taking part in a program that brings students from the capital city of Seoul to study in the countryside.
如果社区失去学校，就几乎没有希望引进年轻家庭。这就是为什么 Cheontae 小学最近开始参与一项计划，让首都首尔的学生到农村学习。
 
 
Under the program, which started in March 2021, Seoul children study for at least six months in schools throughout the southwestern part of the country. The mostly rural area has been hit especially hard by South Korea's population crisis.
根据该计划于 2021 年 3 月启动，首尔儿童将在该国西南部的学校学习至少六个月。大部分农村地区受到韩国人口危机的打击尤其严重。
 
The exchange program is paid for by both Seoul and local government groups.
交换计划由首尔和地方政府团体支付。
 
What it looks like
它看起来像什么
 
So far, Cheontae Elementary has seen hopeful results. Since it began accepting Seoul students last spring, attendance has doubled to over 50.
到目前为止，Cheontae 小学已经看到了充满希望的结果。自去年春天开始接收首尔学生以来，出勤人数翻了一番，达到 50 多人。
 
Along with saving the school, the increased attendance has brought practical benefits for local students. Before the exchange program, it was difficult to find enough children to play team sports, like soccer or basketball, said sixth-grader Lim Sung-ju.
在挽救学校的同时，增加的出勤率也为当地学生带来了实际利益。六年级学生 Lim Sung-ju 说，在交换计划之前，很难找到足够多的孩子来参加足球或篮球等团队运动。
 
"I have more hobbies now, and I can experience more things. Basically, I just have more fun," Lim said.
“我现在有更多的爱好，我可以体验更多的东西。基本上，我只是有更多的乐趣，”林说。
 
More students also mean the school receives more resources and employees – such as a vice principal who can work on lesson planning.
更多的学生也意味着学校获得更多的资源和员工——比如可以负责课程计划的副校长。
 
Seoul exchange students benefit, too. They are able to take a break from the overcrowded capital area. They can enjoy more outdoor activities, cleaner air, fewer crowds and a less competitive educational environment.
首尔交换生也从中受益。他们可以从拥挤的首都地区休息一下。他们可以享受更多的户外活动、更清新的空气、更少的人群和竞争更小的教育环境。
 
"It's possible to educate the whole person here," said Kim Na-yoon, a Seoul local whose son is in the third grade at Cheontae Elementary.
“在这里可以对整个人进行教育，”首尔本地人 Kim Na-yoon 说，他的儿子在 Cheontae 小学读三年级。
 
The exchange students also report feeling less stress away from Seoul, said Hwasun County school chief Lee Hyeong-hui. "This is good for all of Korea in the long term," she said.
和顺县学校负责人李亨辉说，交换生还报告说，离开首尔后感到压力更小。“从长远来看，这对整个韩国都有好处，”她说。
 
Not a perfect solution
不是一个完美的解决方案
 
However, many locals worry the program is only a partial fix. They note it does not deal with the main problem facing rural communities: a lack of income for locals.
然而，许多当地人担心该计划只是部分解决方案。他们指出，它没有解决农村社区面临的主要问题：当地人缺乏收入。
 
"The (local) population is still not growing," said Park Gong-ryeol, a 67-year-old who has lived in Hwasun County for 18 years.
“（当地）人口仍然没有增长，”在和顺县生活了 18 年的 67 岁老人朴功烈说。
 
Park supports the exchange program. He even helps run a housing center for exchange students and their parents. But he said the government should do more to increase the earnings of local farmers who have historically depended on small rice fields.
公园支持交流计划。他甚至帮助经营交换生及其父母的住房中心。但他表示，政府应该采取更多措施来增加历来依赖小稻田的当地农民的收入。
 
Without that kind of intervention, hundreds of rural communities could soon disappear. A March study by the Korea Employment Information Service says 113 of South Korea's 228 cities, counties and districts are at risk of extinction.
如果没有这种干预，数百个农村社区可能很快就会消失。韩国就业信息服务中心 3 月份的一项研究表明，韩国 228 个城市、县和地区中有 113 个面临灭绝的风险。
 
Bigger plans
更大的计划
 
Cho Hee-yeon leads the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education. He is also the driving force behind the exchange program. He hopes this is just the beginning. He wants to one day attract enough students to expand the program to rural areas nationwide.
Cho Hee-yeon 领导首尔市教育厅。他也是交流计划背后的推动力。他希望这仅仅是个开始。他希望有朝一日能吸引足够多的学生，将该项目推广到全国农村地区。
 
"We hope that by studying in rural areas, children will be able to escape the concrete jungle, experience living in nature, develop a second hometown, and grow in a healthier way," he said.
“我们希望通过到农村求学，让孩子们逃离钢筋水泥丛林，体验亲近自然的生活，建设第二故乡，健康成长。”他说。
 
Cho considers the program to be part of a large plan for more balanced, sustainable development in the country.
Cho 认为该计划是该国更平衡、可持续发展的大型计划的一部分。
 
"Korea is traditionally a rice-farming society, but unfortunately some kids these days think rice grows on trees," Cho said, laughing. "The goal is to make children remember rural areas even as adults."
“韩国传统上是一个水稻种植社会，但不幸的是，现在有些孩子认为水稻长在树上，”Cho 笑着说。“我们的目标是让孩子们在成年后也能记住农村。”