Park Sunae: "The Policy of Enrolling 5-Year-Olds in School Can Be Abandoned If Not Supported by the People"

Deputy Prime Minister Park Sunae Holds Parent Meeting on Lowering Elementary School Entry Age
Indicates Possible Policy Revision Amid Strong Parental Opposition
"Education System Reform Is a Means, Alternatives Can Be Changed"

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Park Soon-ae is greeting at a meeting with parent organizations regarding the lowering of the school starting age held on the 2nd at the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] On the 2nd, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Park Soon-ae met with parent organizations and said, "If the public truly says no to this policy (lowering the school starting age to five), I believe it can be abolished."

On the 2nd, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Park Soon-ae stated at a meeting with parent organizations held at the Government Seoul Office, "Policies can be modified, changed, or converted," adding, "School system reform is a means. It is about proposing a better direction in education, and alternatives can be changed as much as needed to achieve the goal."

That afternoon, a message came from the Presidential Office regarding the policy to lower the school starting age, saying "Listen to public opinion," and Deputy Prime Minister Park also arranged a public schedule to gather parents' opinions.

The meeting was urgently organized to collect parents' opinions related to school system reform. Organizations such as the Society Without Private Education Concerns, the National Parents' Association for Realizing Equal Education, the Korea Education Reform Strategy Forum, the National Federation of Parent Organizations, the National Parents' Association for True Education, and the Parents' Group Loving Schools participated in the meeting.

In her opening remarks, Deputy Prime Minister Park explained, "The reason for including the policy measure of lowering the school starting age in the work report was to ensure that children receive quality public education early on, so that everyone can start from the same level, with the state taking responsibility and providing support."

She added, "Another goal was to promote the safe growth of children and reduce parents' burdens by utilizing elementary schools, which already have facilities and equipment at the level of advanced countries, in a way that integrates education and care for our children."

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Park Soon-ae is greeting at a meeting with parent organizations regarding the lowering of the school starting age held on the 2nd at the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

Deputy Prime Minister Park indicated the possibility of policy modification and supplementation and stated that she would gather opinions. She said, "We will create policies to reduce parents' burdens so that children can grow up safely and properly," adding, "During the policy implementation process, we will more thoughtfully collect opinions from parents, students, and experts, and closely consult with metropolitan and provincial offices of education, which are the policy executors."

She continued, "Since the discussed matters require legislation, once the National Education Council is launched soon, we will go through a rapid public discussion process and social consensus to prepare policies derived from that," adding, "We will make further efforts to base the blueprint of education policy on parents' opinions."

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