Long Road Ahead for 'Yubo Integration'... Promotion Committee's 'Late Launch'

The government has taken a late first step toward the integration of kindergartens and daycare centers, aiming for 2025. The Promotion Committee, the highest deliberative and decision-making body that determines the core policies of the integration, was launched on the 4th.

On the same day, the Ministry of Education held the 1st Early Childhood Education and Care Integration Promotion Committee (Yubotonghap Promotion Committee) meeting at the Seoul Government Complex, chaired by Lee Ju-ho, Deputy Prime Minister for Social Affairs and Minister of Education, to review the 'Yubotonghap Promotion Work Plan' and other matters.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

◆ What is Yubotonghap? = Previously, the government decided to integrate the supervisory agencies of kindergartens and daycare centers, which are currently divided between the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health and Welfare, under the Ministry of Education by 2025, and to eliminate the gap in education and care services between the two institutions through 'Yubotonghap.' The purpose of Yubotonghap is to unify the currently dualized main departments?daycare centers under the Ministry of Health and Welfare and kindergartens under the Ministry of Education?into a single institution.

Yubotonghap has been discussed since the May 31, 1995 education reform 28 years ago, but due to the complexity of the issues, no conclusion has been reached yet. The Lee Myung-bak administration introduced the ‘Nuri Curriculum,’ a common curriculum for ages 3 to 5, and the Park Geun-hye administration integrated administrative and curriculum systems such as the information disclosure system, but the integration of teacher qualifications and management departments was not pursued.

The Yubotonghap Promotion Committee will focus on eliminating service gaps between the two institutions by promoting the establishment of an integrated information system for kindergartens and daycare centers this year. They are discussing providing monthly information on kindergarten vacancies and waiting lists. In addition, 'leading education offices' will be designated to build the infrastructure necessary for Yubotonghap and will receive support starting in June.

◆ How far has Yubotonghap progressed? = The Yubotonghap Promotion Committee was originally scheduled to launch in February but was delayed by one month, resulting in a 'late launch.' Given that previous administrations have repeatedly failed to implement Yubotonghap amid various conflicts, it seems this time will not be easy either.

The government declared the promotion of Yubotonghap in July last year with the intention of reducing disparities from the starting point of child education. Then, at the end of January this year, it announced the ‘Yubotonghap Promotion Plan’ and disclosed the schedule. The original government plan was to establish the foundation centered on the Yubotonghap Promotion Committee and Promotion Team from this year through next year and to fully implement Yubotonghap starting in 2025.

However, conflicts arose during the composition of the Yubotonghap Promotion Committee members, causing a brake. The official position of the Yubotonghap Promotion Committee is to proceed according to the originally planned schedule. Policy research and discussions will be conducted by June to transfer the daycare center operations, capacity, and finances from the Ministry of Health and Welfare and local governments to the Ministry of Education and education offices by 2025.

◆ Conflicts in the education sector remain a difficult issue = Currently, conflicts among stakeholders in Yubotonghap are intense. In February, the Ministry of Education appointed the head of the daycare branch of the Korean Public Service and Transport Workers' Union (KPTU) as a committee member, but claims arose that a daycare teacher, not the union representative, was included in the final announced member list. The Ministry of Education denied this, stating, “The union official was one of several nominees and was contacted during the review stage,” but the controversy has not subsided.

The Ministry of Education aims to integrate the training processes for kindergarten and daycare teachers, but this is also facing difficulties. Kindergarten teachers must complete a teacher training course at a four-year university and obtain a kindergarten teacher certificate, whereas daycare teachers can obtain certification through a two-year college or credit bank system by earning an associate degree and completing related courses. Concerns persist that Yubotonghap may lead to a downward leveling of teacher treatment or that kindergarten teachers with higher qualifications may face reverse discrimination.

◆ Remaining tasks ahead = First, practical tasks such as sharing statistics to understand the status of kindergartens and daycare centers nationwide and using child-centered terminology for Yubotonghap must be resolved. The increasing number of closed kindergartens and daycare centers in rural and fishing villages and the need for support for children with disabilities have also been raised.

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