Kindergarten School Days Reduced to a Maximum of 121 Days... Applying Summer Vacation Not Easy

Representatives from the Korea Federation of Teachers' Associations and the Korea Public Kindergarten Teachers' Association held a joint press conference on June 22 in front of the Ministry of Education at the Government Complex Sejong in Sejong City, urging the reduction of kindergarten class days.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-ju] This year, the legal number of kindergarten school days will be reduced by up to 41 days, with a maximum of 121 days. However, there are concerns that it will be difficult to apply this reduction during the summer vacation immediately, meaning kindergarten students will have to attend school during the heatwave.

The Ministry of Education announced on the 22nd that it will give public notice of the "Partial Amendment to the Enforcement Decree of the Early Childhood Education Act," which includes the reduction of kindergarten school days, until the 27th of this month. Originally, the Ministry planned to collect opinions until the 31st of next month, but the deadline was revised due to an error during the publication process in the official gazette.

The amendment allows kindergarten principals to reduce the number of school days within the actual closure period if the local metropolitan or provincial office of education orders a closure or suspension of operations due to infectious disease situations such as COVID-19. Previously, reductions were only permitted up to one-tenth of the annual school days in cases of natural disasters, operation of research schools, or other necessary curriculum operations. This amendment newly adds grounds for reduction due to infectious disease situations.

This year, the kindergarten closure period is 59 days. Although the normal attendance start date was March 2, attendance began on May 27 due to the spread of COVID-19. Considering that 18 days, which is one-tenth of the annual school days, have already been reduced, an additional 41 days can be cut. This means the number of school days can be reduced from the current 162 days to 121 days.

However, since many kindergartens have already established vacation plans and informed parents, it seems difficult to apply the reduction of school days during the summer vacation.

The Ministry of Education plans to amend the Enforcement Decree of the Early Childhood Education Act next month. A Ministry official stated, "Considering the special situation of COVID-19, we will promptly finalize the reduction of school days."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.