Minister Choi Kyo-jin of the Ministry of Education sparked controversy on the 26th by announcing plans to push the "Sunlight Link School" project. The project centers on installing solar power systems at 4,378 national and public elementary and secondary schools by 2030 with an investment of about 700 billion won. If carried out as scheduled, 77% of all national and public elementary and secondary schools will have solar installed. The Ministry of Education cited cutting schools' electricity bills and strengthening ecological education as its aims.
On this, the Ministry of Education and the Korean Federation of Teachers' Associations (KFTA) are sharply at odds. The KFTA says "there is a high fire risk and concerns about wasting the budget," while the Ministry of Education counters that "the fire risk is not high and the educational effect is significant."
◇ "Concerns about fire risk" vs. "Fire risk not high… safety devices also reinforced"
The KFTA's core reason for opposing solar installation is fire risk. It points to the series of solar facility fires to date and the difficulty of early response because the systems are installed on rooftops. It also raises concerns that additional staff may be needed for maintenance or that other education budgets could be cut.
In fact, last year a fire broke out in rooftop solar panels at a middle school in Incheon, prompting the evacuation of about 1,120 students and staff. In September of the same year, about 1,000 people evacuated due to a solar facility fire at an elementary school in Seoul's Gangnam District. In 2023, a fire in rooftop solar equipment at an elementary school in Jeju forced an emergency evacuation of about 1,100 students.
The Ministry of Education, on the other hand, says "only a few incidents have been highlighted, and it is hard to say solar fires are frequent." According to the National Fire Agency, over the past five years (2021–2025) there were 10 fire incidents involving school solar facilities. There were no casualties, and property damage was about 40.28 million won.
When announcing this project, the Ministry of Education also rolled out fire safety measures. Through government-level integrated monitoring, schools will be alerted immediately if abnormal signs are detected, and installation of arc-fault protection devices (which detect and cut off when sparks occur) on school solar systems will be mandated. The statutory inspection cycle will also be shortened from every four years to every year. By having existing electrical safety staff also manage the solar facilities, the ministry says the burden on schools will not be significant.
◇ "Spending hundreds of billions with showy education" vs. "Carbon reduction, educational value"
The two sides also clashed over budget efficiency. The KFTA argues, "Installation costs run into hundreds of billions of won, and when maintenance expenses are included, the budget outlay is enormous," adding, "climate and ecological transition education should occur naturally within the curriculum, not through facility installations."
Under this project, the average investment expense per school comes to about 166 million won, but the annual electricity bill savings amount to around 10 million won. It would take more than 16 years just to recoup the investment. Factoring in maintenance expenses, it is expected to take even longer to recover the investment.
There were also cases of neglect and debates over efficiency in earlier school solar installation projects. A 2023 government survey found 120 cases such as neglecting damaged solar panels, and the budget for the "Green Smart Future School" project was then drastically cut. Even so, critics say the project was relaunched under a new name without a full survey of solar installation expenses, power generation, electricity use and sales, and problems.
In response, the Ministry of Education argues the project should not be judged solely on expense. Minister Choi said, "It is hard to see this project as expense-efficient," but emphasized, "we should place greater importance on the educational effect of cutting greenhouse gases through the transition to renewable energy and on climate and ecological education."
Choi added, "We plan to use solar facilities in education on climate change and ecological transition, and to link the solar generation process and power production data to creative experiential activities or flexible hours."