As the government pushes for lowering the elementary school entrance age from 6 to 5, voices of opposition are growing, from infants and elementary school teachers to parents.
They are concerned that elementary school life does not fit at the stage of development of a 5-year-old child, where play should be the center, and that the care gap at home may increase, and confusion in the field from early childhood education and daycare centers to schools may worsen.
The Pan-National Solidarity for Preventing 5-year-olds from entering elementary school held a press conference in front of the Yongsan War Memorial of Korea today (1st) and said, "A class that subordinates the lives and growth of young children to the economic logic of merely 'cultivating industrial manpower'. Abolish the educational policy immediately."
43 organizations, including the World Without Worries of Private Education, Teachers' Union Federation, and Korean Children's Association, participated in the Pan-National Solidarity.
About 700 people participated in today's rally, far exceeding the 450 people who reported it initially.
The police allowed only about 500 people to sit in front of the broadcast car they installed, while the rest stood outside the police line and participated in the rally.
The participants held up hand-picks and shouted slogans such as "What does a 5-year-old mean to enter elementary school", "Does the Ministry of Education know about infant development?" and "Avoid early admission now."
Kim Yong-seo, chairman of the Federation of Teachers' Unions, condemned, "The Minister of Education unilaterally announced the reorganization of the school system, which would have a huge impact on the education field, without a word of consultation with teachers' organizations."
He continued, "The purpose of the 3- to 5-year-old Nuri course is to achieve mental and physical health and harmonious development through play, so there is a clear difference from elementary education." 26 countries are allowing children to enter elementary school at the age of 6 in consideration of the developmental characteristics of children.”
Jeong Ji-hyeon, co-CEO of the World Without Worrying about Private Education, said, "If the elementary school entrance age is increased, parents and children will suffer more through early education instead of resolving the educational gap. do,” he urged.
After the meeting, they delivered a letter to the Office of the President requesting the cancellation of the elementary school enrollment policy for children aged 5 years and the guarantee of participation of the educational parties such as parents, teachers, and students in the subsequent education policy establishment process.
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Educational organizations have also been receiving opposition signatures, mainly online, since the 30th of last month.
Several local mom cafes are sharing a message asking them to join the signature.
The national and national public kindergarten teachers' union also held a rally in front of the Yongsan War Memorial to demand the withdrawal of the plan to reorganize the school for children aged 5 years.
The Korean Federation of Teachers' Associations, the Korean Federation of Public Kindergarten Teachers, and the Korea Early Childhood Education Administrative Council delivered a joint request to the President's Office, the Ministry of Education, and the National Assembly Education Committee to withdraw the policy.
In the request, the KFK stated, "A five-year-old is ignoring the characteristics and development of children by putting only economic logic at the fore."
He continued, "Currently, children aged 3 to 5 are operating a play-centered Nuri course according to their developmental stage, and the size and shape of the classroom, toilets and meal facilities, etc. are also taken into consideration for children of that age," he said. It is irresponsible to approach it as 'these days, kids are getting bigger and smarter'."
President Jeong Seong-guk of the KFA plans to meet in person with Minister of Education Park Soon-ae and National Assembly Education Committee Chairman Yoo Ki-hong to express his opposition to the promotion of the school system reform.
In a statement, the Korea Junior College Early Childhood Education Professors Association also issued a statement saying, “The resolution of the educational gap is not resolved by pushing children to an elementary school classroom full of desks that do not fit their developmental stage. We will revitalize private education for writing,” he pointed out.
The council said, "(The government) undemocratically and arbitrarily announced an important policy to reorganize the overall system of school-age public education." he emphasized.
The Good Teachers Movement also issued a statement, saying, "If a 5-year-old enters elementary school, normal education will be difficult if the current elementary school curriculum for 6-year-olds is maintained." “, he pointed out.
(Photo = Yonhap News)