Opposition to 'five-year-old admission' spreads... What about other countries?

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Education groups and parents are fiercely opposed to the government's announcement that the age to enter elementary school is one year earlier than it is now.

Then, the Ministry of Education said that nothing has been confirmed yet and that it will seek a social consensus by the end of the year.

Let's take a look at the reporter Jung Da-eun's report first and explain more about this.

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[Immediately withdraw the reorganization of the elementary school system for 5-year-olds!

(Withdraw, withdraw.)]

About 700 people, including parents and teachers, gathered in 40 educational groups.

He urged the government to withdraw the government's announcement to lower the elementary school entry age from 6 to 5 by 2025.

First of all, it was criticized for ignoring the stage of cognitive development.

[Lee Kyung-mi / President of Korea Federation of Public Kindergarten Teachers: It is not appropriate for infants to sit in front of a desk in a square space called a classroom for children who need to do play-oriented activities.]

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He pointed out that starting public education a year earlier will widen the education gap rather than narrow it.

[Ji Hyun Jung/Parent: Look at the numerous community and article comments now.

No parents are in favor, and everyone is anxious and worried that the competition for early education will only accelerate.]

The biggest concern for dual-income couples is child care.

[Choi Eun-mi/Parent: In

kindergarten, there is an after-school course, so there is almost no rest (take care of the child).

Parents of children whose admissions will be delayed across the country are dissatisfied, saying they will face a disadvantage in college admissions and employment.

Education Minister Park Soon-ae said she would consider a variety of options, saying that she had no confirmed plans.

She cites an example of raising the admission age by one month over 12 years.

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[Park Soon-ae / Minister of Education: Our children enter the public education system early and receive better educational services in a stable system.

In achieving that goal, the alternatives are the various alternatives…

.]

For the first and second graders of elementary school, we promised to guarantee school care until the evening.

Minister Park said that he would reach a social consensus by the end of this year, including a large-scale survey, but with the hasty policy withdrawal, an online signature campaign calling for Minister Park's resignation is taking place.

(Video coverage: Jeong Seong-hwa·Kim Seung-tae, Video editing: Choi Eun-jin, VJ: Oh Se-gwan)

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Reporter Jeong Da-eun who covered this content is here.

[Reporter Jeong Da-eun: The previous government tried to advance the school age to five.

The Roh Moo-hyun administration pushed for a plan to lower the age to 5 and reform the semester system in September, but it was canceled because most parents and teachers objected that it was not suitable for development.

Also, under the Lee Myung-bak administration, it was reviewed, but it was concluded that it was not effective. In fact, the law changed in 2007, so even a 5-year-old can enter if they want.

However, after peaking at around 9,700 in 2009, it has continued to decline, reaching 500 last year, accounting for only 0.1% of the total number of admissions.]

[Reporter Jeong Da-eun: Out of 38 OECD member countries, 26 countries are 6 years old, and 8 countries are 7 years old.

In only four countries, the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand, the school age is 5 years old.

Recently, OECD countries have been moving forward in the period of compulsory education rather than pulling in primary school admissions.

In France, primary school entry age is 6 years old, the same as ours, but compulsory education starts at 3 years old.

The Ministry of Education has a purpose to delay entry into society by one year in preparation for the low birth rate and aging population, but you said that the main purpose is to provide fair educational opportunities at an early stage.

So I should refer to this part as well.]

[Reporter Jeong Da-eun: Minister of Education Park Soon-ae emphasized that he would reach a social consensus, saying he knew there were many concerns.

We are starting a survey of 10,000 students and parents each from next month, but we have postponed the finalization of the specific plan until the end of the year.

Prime Minister Han Deok-soo's phone call to Minister Park also seems to have had an impact.

Prime Minister Han ordered, "Listen to the diverse opinions of education consumers and faithfully reflect them in policies so that the people do not become anxious."

(Video coverage: Jeong Seong-hwa, video editing: Lee So-young)