Vocational High School Students Receive 500,000 Won and Junior College Students 700,000 Won for Certification Acquisition Fees

Ministry of Education Allocates 83.03 Trillion KRW in 2nd Supplementary Budget, 6.4 Trillion KRW Increase from 1st
Budget Set for Strengthening Employment Capabilities of Vocational High School and Junior College Students Amid COVID-19 Job Crisis
'Practical Support Mentoring' Hiring Assistant Instructors for Vocational High School Graduates' Practical Classes Included

On the 21st of last month, university students were preparing for their final exams in a lecture hall at a university in Seoul. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] The Ministry of Education will support vocational high school and junior college students who are struggling to find employment due to COVID-19 by covering certification acquisition costs. It will also deploy quarantine personnel to universities preparing to expand face-to-face classes.

On the 1st, the Ministry of Education announced that it has set the second supplementary budget at 83.0299 trillion won, an increase of 6.4008 trillion won compared to the first supplementary budget.

The Ministry allocated 29.6 billion won for employment competency enhancement projects for vocational high school students and junior college students facing employment difficulties due to COVID-19, and 5.4 billion won for university quarantine personnel support projects. Through adjustments in domestic tax revenue from additional tax income, local education finance grants will be increased by 6.3658 trillion won.

This year, the Ministry will support 24,000 vocational high school students participating in field training with 500,000 won per person for education fees and exam fees. This is due to a decrease in certification acquisition rates caused by insufficient training hours. The Ministry allocated 6 billion won for the vocational high school employment competency enhancement support project.

To allow unemployed vocational high school graduates to work as assistant instructors in practical classes, 2.1 billion won was allocated for the "Practical Training Support Mentoring Project." This is to support practical classes by hiring unemployed graduates at vocational high schools and to assist graduates in preparing for social advancement.

For 30,000 junior college graduates (or expected graduates), costs up to 700,000 won per person will be supported for national official certification, language proficiency test fees, and various educational program completions. A budget of 21.5 billion won was allocated for this purpose.

To prepare for the expansion of face-to-face classes in the second semester, 5.4 billion won will be invested to support 2,000 quarantine management personnel on university campuses. These personnel will manage building access, disinfection, and guidance on quarantine guidelines.

Additionally, following the 2021 domestic tax revenue adjustment, local education finance grants totaling 6.3658 trillion won, including 6.1748 trillion won in general grants and 191 billion won in special grants, were increased. The Ministry plans to consult with metropolitan and provincial offices of education to invest in learning and emotional deficits, quarantine, care, and improvements in the educational environment.

The Ministry of Education stated, "We plan to thoroughly prepare for the National Assembly’s review of the supplementary budget and pre-execution preparations so that the supplementary budget can be executed immediately upon confirmation by the National Assembly."

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