Lee Jae-myung Announces Pledge to Integrate Kindergartens and Daycare Centers... "Will Resolve Childcare and Caregiving Issues"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Koo Chae-eun] On the 13th, Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the Democratic Party of Korea, announced a pledge to gradually integrate kindergartens and daycare centers, called ‘Yubo Integration.’ The plan aims to combine early childhood education and childcare into one system. According to Representative Yoon Hu-duk of the Democratic Party’s Election Countermeasures Committee and Park Baek-beom, Vice Chairman of the Education Transformation Committee of the campaign headquarters, the candidate’s pledge was announced at the Democratic Party office in Yeouido, Seoul, on the same day.

According to Representative Yoon and Vice Chairman Park, Candidate Lee proposed forming a ‘Yubo Integration Committee’ to gradually integrate kindergarten and daycare center facilities and teachers. The plan includes gradually unifying the certification pathways and treatment of kindergarten teachers and daycare childcare teachers, which currently differ, over several years. Japan has proposed integrating early childhood education and childcare facilities over ten years, but Lee’s plan aims to proceed more quickly.

Efforts to unify the responsible ministries will also be pursued. Currently, kindergartens and daycare centers fall under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health and Welfare, respectively. Vice Chairman Park said, “We need to ease the worries of parents who are anxious about sending their children to better daycare centers or kindergartens,” adding, “Regardless of where children attend, there should be no disparities, and they should receive high-quality education and childcare.”

In the pledge announcement, Candidate Lee stated, “We will promote Yubo Integration so that children do not experience disparities regardless of which facility they attend and can receive high-quality childcare and education.” He pointed out, “Although the Nuri Curriculum is implemented for children attending daycare centers and kindergartens, systematic integrated management is difficult because government and local government support is divided.” Lee added, “We will form a ‘Yubo Integration Committee’ composed of relevant ministries, local governments, metropolitan and provincial offices of education, parents, daycare and kindergarten operators and teachers, and academia to begin discussions and develop phased implementation plans.”

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