Private Kindergartens with Over 50 Children Subject to School Meal Act

Education Office Nutrition Teachers Support Private Kindergarten Meal Management
Food Ingredient Support During Disasters, Gift Certificates or Vouchers May Be Provided
Types of Disabilities for Special Education Include Multiple Disabilities Such as Midway Overlapping Disabilities

On the 31st, at the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul, Cabinet members listened to Prime Minister Han Duck-soo's remarks during the Cabinet meeting held via video conference with the Sejong Office. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

From the end of this month, private kindergartens with 50 or more children will also be subject to the School Meal Act.

On the 21st, the Ministry of Education reviewed and approved amendments to the Enforcement Decrees of the School Meal Act, the Special Education Act, and the Educational Facilities Act at the Cabinet meeting. All will take effect from the 29th.

The scope of the School Meal Act has been expanded from private kindergartens with 100 or more children to those with 50 or more children. Among private kindergartens with 100 or more children, those equipped with meal facilities were required to assign one nutrition teacher, but with the inclusion of smaller kindergartens in the meal program, meal management measures have been specified. For private kindergartens with 50 or more but fewer than 100 children, the education office (support office) may assign nutrition teachers to support meal management such as nutrition management, hygiene and safety management, and dietary guidance.

In case of disasters making meal provision difficult, the superintendent of education will be able to deliver food ingredients from the school meal support center to homes or provide guardians with vouchers or exchange tickets to purchase or exchange food ingredients.

The amendment to the Enforcement Decree of the Special Education Act added "multiple disabilities overlapping" to the types of disabilities for selecting special education recipients. People with multiple disabilities, including those with moderate multiple disabilities and deafblindness, will be designated as special education recipients with two or more overlapping disabilities. It is estimated that about 2,700 school-age children have moderate multiple disabilities or severe disabilities.

Additionally, university presidents must include audio descriptions, closed captions, or sign language interpretation in videos for non-face-to-face classes, or provide convenience by utilizing support personnel or learning assistive devices.

An official from the Ministry of Education explained, "Since education support was mainly focused on single disabilities, we reflected the demand for customized support for people with multiple disabilities, creating conditions for special education recipients with two or more severe disabilities to receive tailored education."

The amendment to the Enforcement Decree of the Educational Facilities Act includes provisions for the Ministry of Education and the Fire Agency to conduct regular annual surveys on the installation of fire facilities and securing fire truck access routes.

For construction or remodeling projects of elementary, middle, high, and special schools with estimated design costs of 100 million KRW or more, prior planning is required. The results of the prior planning must be reviewed by the Public Architecture Support Center or a specialized institution designated by the Minister of Education. This addition was made due to the necessity of prior planning in the process of promoting the Green Smart Future School project.

The support project for counseling and psychological treatment for mental damage caused by educational facility safety accidents will now include not only users of educational facilities but also their spouses, direct ascendants and descendants, and siblings.

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