Gwangju Civic Groups "Education Support for Children with Disabilities Postponing School Enrollment Must Be Strengthened"

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Yoon Jamin] An educational civic group in the Gwangju area has called for strengthened educational support for children with disabilities who have deferred school enrollment.

The Citizens' Group for a Society Without Academic Elitism announced on the 23rd that, after reviewing data from the Gwangju East and West Education Support Offices, it was confirmed that 26 children with disabilities who are of elementary school age have deferred enrollment this year.

They stated, "The biggest reason children with disabilities postpone elementary school enrollment is due to the 'poor special education environment,'" adding, "While some delay enrollment for treatment, support for children with disabilities who find inclusive education difficult is severely lacking."

They continued, "Also, there is no way to fill the care gap," explaining, "Not only is school care not provided after the third grade of elementary school, but programs are operated mainly for non-disabled students, making it difficult for guardians to trust school care."

Furthermore, they said, "There are many obstacles to enrollment for children with disabilities, but all the burdens fall on the guardians," and explained, "As a result, many guardians end up sending their children to specialized daycare centers for children with disabilities where care, treatment, and education can be resolved in a one-stop manner."

They also pointed out, "The number of deferred enrollments for children with disabilities in the Gwangju area has steadily occurred with 26 cases in the 2020 school year, 41 cases in the 2021 school year, and 26 cases in the 2022 school year," adding, "However, schools only hold compulsory education management committees to decide on deferred enrollment, and children with disabilities are consistently overlooked due to being 'outside the quota.'"

The group emphasized, "As a result, there is no investigation by the Gwangju Metropolitan Office of Education into 'where children with deferred enrollment are receiving education' or 'whether they are being excluded from compulsory education opportunities,'" and stressed, "Although specialized daycare centers for children with disabilities are managed by local governments, the education authorities must not ignore the compulsory education of children with disabilities."

They added, "It is crucial for education authorities to pay attention and provide support so that children with disabilities can enroll in school without burden, be recognized as equal members alongside non-disabled children, and fully enjoy their right to learn," and called for "the establishment of a cooperative system between education offices and local governments for the learning rights of children with disabilities, improvement of the poor special education environment to support enrollment, and continuous surveys (to identify reasons for deferred enrollment, whether children are enrolled in daycare centers, etc.)."

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