The first schools in Sejong City opened on Friday, as the new city under construction in South Chungcheong Province for numerous government ministries and agencies prepares for a population influx.

The four schools are Chamsaem Kindergarten, Chamsaem Elementary School, Hansol Middle School and Hansol High School. They are equipped with state-of-art education facilities, according to the Education Ministry.

Education ministry officials said the schools, though surrounded by apartment buildings under construction, received a good response from parents for their innovative technologies installed in every classroom.

Classrooms have electronic boards instead of chalkboards. Every student from fourth grade up will be issued a tablet PC. Students will also carry a radio frequency ID card to be used to check attendance.

The schools are a good example of digital learning, and teachers there will be trained in new high-tech teaching methods, officials said.

The schools currently have 222 kindergartners, 527 pupils at elementary level, 274 middle schoolers and 144 high school pupils.

The ministry said there would be 150 more schools built in the city to meet the population expected to increase to about 500,000 by 2030.

A total of 36 ministries and government agencies will begin to move to the new city, starting with the Prime Minister’s Office in September and followed by 12 other ministries late this year.

The joint opening ceremony of the four schools was attended by Education Minister Lee Ju-ho and other officials.

By Lee Woo-young  (wylee@heraldcorp.com)