Lee Nak-yeon: "We Must Break the Vicious Cycle Where Income Inequality Breeds Educational Inequality"

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeon Jin-young] Lee Nak-yeon, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, stated on the 20th, "We must break the vicious cycle where income inequality leads to educational inequality."

At the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly that morning, Lee said, "It is time for social discussions to protect children from educational inequality."

Lee Nak-yeon, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is attending the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the 20th and delivering an opening remark. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

He pointed out, "Educational inequality is deepening as much as the economic inequality caused by COVID-19. Last year’s mock college entrance exam results showed a decrease in the middle tier and an increase in both the upper and lower tiers. Like economic polarization, student performance is also becoming polarized."

He continued, "Educational inequality is the harshest form of inequality that will lead to greater socio-economic inequality in the future. It is said that children in areas with higher housing prices had longer remote learning hours, while those in areas with lower housing prices had shorter learning hours. This predicts that the academic achievement gap will worsen."

He added, "If we fail to properly address this educational inequality, we will have to pay enormous social and economic costs in the near future," and pledged to work on solutions.

Lee emphasized, "We need to strengthen the role and function of public education to eliminate the gap in remote learning," and requested, "I hope the Party Policy Committee and the Democratic Research Institute will assist with various wisdom to solve this problem."

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