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News summary on the way home from work, Subsletter Evening.
We will promote a plan to lower the elementary school enrollment age to five.
Since the reorganization of the school system was announced, the opposition in the education world has been growing out of control, but there are no progressives or conservatives.
As the backlash grows, the Ministry of Education is taking a step back to reach a social consensus, including a public survey.
But how should we view the administration of the Ministry of Education, which suddenly brings out policies in a situation where the opposition has become clear and clear?
Prime Minister Han "Reflect various opinions so as not to cause public anxiety"
At lunchtime, the Prime Minister's office hastily sent the data to the press room, and the contents that Prime Minister Han Deok-soo ordered to Deputy Prime Minister Park Soon-ae were made and distributed as data.
According to the data, Prime Minister Han Deok-soo said to Park Soon-ae, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education, 'Listen to and reflect the opinions of various education consumers so that there is no public anxiety' in relation to the Ministry of Education's reform plan to lower the elementary school entrance age by one year to five. It is said that he was instructed.
It also lists points to consider when reorganizing the school system, saying, "It is important to keep in mind that each child has a different level of development, and that each family and school have different circumstances."
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Prime Minister Han
said, “It is important to keep in mind that every child has a different level of development, and that every family and school has different circumstances.”
We converge to come up with supplementary measures, and ▲ instructed the media to explain and communicate the entire process of policy in a transparent and subtle way.
It can be seen that the Prime Minister has started to evolve as there are growing concerns among parents about the lack of care over the school system reform plan.
"It's not conclusive"... Park Soon-ae took a step back
Is it because of Prime Minister Han Duk-soo's order?
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Park Soon-ae met with reporters and explained the plan for the reorganization of the school system by saying, 'Don't worry too much because it is not a finalized plan.'
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Minister Park said, "The proposal will be prepared at the end of this year through the process of public discussion by the National Education Commission, but we will go through the process of drawing a social consensus with an open mind." "There is no need to worry too much. We will also conduct a large-scale public survey involving more than 20,000 people.”
At the same time, he acknowledged that although he did not pursue the reorganization of the school system without any alternatives, there were some areas where a wide collection of opinions was not preceded.
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As for the care that mothers were concerned about, there were also proposals to provide full-time care for the first and second graders and provide care until 8 pm.
"
It is not finished when I tell you (when it is announced), but from now on, we will listen to the opinions of all walks of life and start it through parents, experts, and policy research.”
In the morning, Minister Park had an interview with CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show', but declined to consider a plan to advance the admissions process by one month each for 12 years.
It has been pointed out that if the age of admission is advanced over 4 years by 3 months sequentially as originally planned, children with a difference of up to 15 months may become classmates and cause various problems. It can be seen as a proposal for a reform plan.
He said, 'Increasing by one year over four years is the first alternative we are thinking of.'
This part could actually be 1-3 months or 4 years.
With too many concerns and certain low preferences, we could in fact go in 12 years.
pull for 1 month.
(Secretary Park Soon-ae, interviewed on CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show')
Conservatives are also "against"... angry education system
Although the government has shifted its direction to cautious mode, the backlash from the education community has not subsided.
The World Without Worries about Private Education, the Teachers' Union Federation, etc. have formed the 'National Solidarity to Stop 5-year-olds from attending elementary school', and more than 40 organizations participated.
The Pan-National Solidarity held a press conference near the President's Office in Yongsan, and the reason for the objection was 'sequenceization and competition in private education'.
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The Pan-National Solidarity said, "Currently, most Korean parents perceive elementary school admission as the starting point of the competition for college admission. Therefore, the practical meaning of a 5-year-old entering elementary school a year earlier is that they drive young children a year earlier into brutal competitive education, resulting in poor grades. It becomes a matter of sequencing them in one line.”
In particular, he raised the objection, saying, "Even children aged 2, 3, and 4, who have not even finished potty training, will be driven faster and more into the private education market that provides prior learning to prepare for elementary school."
At the same time, they demanded 1) withdrawal of the school system reorganization for children aged 5 years and 2) guaranteeing the participation of educational entities such as parents, teachers, and students in the process of establishing and deciding future education policies.
Earlier, the Korea Federation of Teachers' Associations (KFTA), which represents a conservative position, also clearly expressed its 'opposition' position, saying, "Admission to an elementary school at the age of 5 is ignoring the development of children." You have to keep in mind that most people don't choose because they have to compete with children."
An online anti-signature is also underway, which is said to have surpassed 150,000 people in the afternoon.
It is said that online anti-signature is spreading centering on the portal site 'Mom Cafe'.
Sudden announcement... Did you not expect the aftermath?
Reducing the school age is not an election promise by President Yoon Seok-yeol, nor has it been adopted as a policy task in the process of taking over the government.
In the past, the Roh Moo-hyun, Lee Myung-bak, and Park Geun-hye governments have reviewed it several times, but it was closed at the review stage due to practical difficulties or concerns about side effects.
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However, it is said that there are many reactions that Minister Park Soon-ae brought up this issue in the President's business report, saying that it was 'suddenly'.
As previous governments brought up complex and sensitive issues that could be considered and closed, there was no prior consultation with related organizations.
Minister Park also said, "We have not officially discussed it with the education office."
So, it was quite predictable that a backlash erupted from both liberals and conservatives.
The Justice Party criticized the Ministry of Education's way of handling work, calling it 'dangerous speeding and reckless driving', saying, "There was no public opinion gathering process such as parents, teachers, and the education office."
Although there are procedural problems, it can also be predicted that the public's acceptance of this policy will be low, as can be seen by looking at the OECD Education Index 2021.
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As of 2019, out of 38 OECD member countries, 26 countries (68.4%), including Korea, had an elementary school enrollment age of 6, and only three countries had a 5-year-old.
Also, looking at the education statistics service of the Korea Educational Development Institute, the number of children entering elementary school early on recorded a peak of 9,707 in 2009 and has continued to decline, dropping to 651 in 2019 and 521 in 2020.
As the KFK has already pointed out, even though early admission is allowed, research is confirming that most do not prefer it.
Although the idea is to close the gap between education and care, if the government suddenly announces a policy that has low public acceptance, it will inevitably lead to a backlash. Is the Ministry of Education insensitive?
a piece of the day
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The Police Department of the Ministry of Public Administration and Security will be officially launched tomorrow (the 2nd), and a police department office has been set up in the Ministry of Public Administration and Security a day before.
There will be three departments under the director. Superintendent Bang Yu-jin was appointed as the head of the personnel support section, Superintendent Woo Ji-wan was appointed as the head of the autonomous police support section, and the general support section was headed by Lim Cheol-eon, deputy director of the Ministry of Public Administration and Security.
(Photo = Yonhap News)
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