2022年12月15日 VOA慢速英語：韓國農(nóng)村學校歡迎首爾學生

 

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，和順縣農(nóng)村的天泰小學的教室里擠滿了 800 多名學生。這所學校位于韓國西南部的一群小村莊和稻田之間。
 
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，學校的學生人數(shù)下降到只有 24 名學生。當?shù)毓賳T表示，如果不進行干預，Cheontae 小學可能很快就會關閉。
 
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.
大幅下降是韓國出生率下降和快速城市化的結果，這使得大量年輕人到城市尋找更好的工作。
 
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.
韓國很多學校的情況都是一樣的。自1982年以來，全國已有3800多所學校因生源不足而停課。大多數(shù)關閉發(fā)生在農(nóng)村地區(qū)。
 
In Dojang, a small village about a five-minute drive from Cheontae Elementary, locals understand that their community is on the edge of extinction.
在距離 Cheontae 小學約五分鐘車程的小村莊 Dojang，當?shù)厝酥浪麄兊纳鐓^(qū)正處于滅絕的邊緣。
 
"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 多歲和 70 多歲的人在這里被認為是年輕人，”82 歲的 Moon Gyeongga 說。“這個村子里沒有一個孩子。每個有孩子的人都去城里了，”穆恩補充道。
 
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.
如果社區(qū)失去學校，就幾乎沒有希望引進年輕家庭。這就是為什么 Cheontae 小學最近開始參與一項計劃，讓首都首爾的學生到農(nóng)村學習。
 
 
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.
根據(jù)該計劃于 2021 年 3 月啟動，首爾兒童將在該國西南部的學校學習至少六個月。大部分農(nóng)村地區(qū)受到韓國人口危機的打擊尤其嚴重。
 
The exchange program is paid for by both Seoul and local government groups.
交換計劃由首爾和地方政府團體支付。
 
What it looks like
它看起來像什么
 
So far, Cheontae Elementary has seen hopeful results. Since it began accepting Seoul students last spring, attendance has doubled to over 50.
到目前為止，Cheontae 小學已經(jīng)看到了充滿希望的結果。自去年春天開始接收首爾學生以來，出勤人數(shù)翻了一番，達到 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.
在挽救學校的同時，增加的出勤率也為當?shù)貙W生帶來了實際利益。六年級學生 Lim Sung-ju 說，在交換計劃之前，很難找到足夠多的孩子來參加足球或籃球等團隊運動。
 
"I have more hobbies now, and I can experience more things. Basically, I just have more fun," Lim said.
“我現(xiàn)在有更多的愛好，我可以體驗更多的東西?；旧?，我只是有更多的樂趣，”林說。
 
More students also mean the school receives more resources and employees – such as a vice principal who can work on lesson planning.
更多的學生也意味著學校獲得更多的資源和員工——比如可以負責課程計劃的副校長。
 
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.
首爾交換生也從中受益。他們可以從擁擠的首都地區(qū)休息一下。他們可以享受更多的戶外活動、更清新的空氣、更少的人群和競爭更小的教育環(huán)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.
“在這里可以對整個人進行教育，”首爾本地人 Kim Na-yoon 說，他的兒子在 Cheontae 小學讀三年級。
 
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.
和順縣學校負責人李亨輝說，交換生還報告說，離開首爾后感到壓力更小。“從長遠來看，這對整個韓國都有好處，”她說。
 
Not a perfect solution
不是一個完美的解決方案
 
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，許多當?shù)厝藫脑撚媱澲皇遣糠纸鉀Q方案。他們指出，它沒有解決農(nóng)村社區(qū)面臨的主要問題：當?shù)厝巳狈κ杖搿?br />  
"The (local) population is still not growing," said Park Gong-ryeol, a 67-year-old who has lived in Hwasun County for 18 years.
“（當?shù)兀┤丝谌匀粵]有增長，”在和順縣生活了 18 年的 67 歲老人樸功烈說。
 
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.
公園支持交流計劃。他甚至幫助經(jīng)營交換生及其父母的住房中心。但他表示，政府應該采取更多措施來增加歷來依賴小稻田的當?shù)剞r(nóng)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.
如果沒有這種干預，數(shù)百個農(nóng)村社區(qū)可能很快就會消失。韓國就業(yè)信息服務中心 3 月份的一項研究表明，韓國 228 個城市、縣和地區(qū)中有 113 個面臨滅絕的風險。
 
Bigger plans
更大的計劃
 
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 領導首爾市教育廳。他也是交流計劃背后的推動力。他希望這僅僅是個開始。他希望有朝一日能吸引足夠多的學生，將該項目推廣到全國農(nóng)村地區(qū)。
 
"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.
“我們希望通過到農(nóng)村求學，讓孩子們逃離鋼筋水泥叢林，體驗親近自然的生活，建設第二故鄉(xiāng)，健康成長。”他說。
 
Cho considers the program to be part of a large plan for more balanced, sustainable development in the country.
Cho 認為該計劃是該國更平衡、可持續(xù)發(fā)展的大型計劃的一部分。
 
"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."
“韓國傳統(tǒng)上是一個水稻種植社會，但不幸的是，現(xiàn)在有些孩子認為水稻長在樹上，”Cho 笑著說。“我們的目標是讓孩子們在成年后也能記住農(nóng)村。”