Relaxation of Eligibility for After-School Care... Expansion of Neulbom School Pilot Education Offices and Schools

Presentation on "Resolving Elementary Care Waiting Lists and Policy Directions for the 2nd Semester Neulbom School"

The eligibility criteria for elementary after-school care classrooms operated by the Ministry of Education have been relaxed, allowing more people to benefit.

On the 17th, the Ministry of Education held the 4th Social Relations Ministers' Meeting at the Government Sejong Complex and announced the "Policy Direction for Resolving Elementary After-School Care Waiting Lists and Operating the Increased Care Schools in the Second Semester," which includes these details.

First, the Ministry of Education will actively work to resolve the current waiting list of about 8,700 students for after-school care classrooms in close cooperation with metropolitan and provincial offices of education. To this end, they plan to expand EduCare, a high-quality education and care program, increase necessary spaces and personnel, and promote cooperation with local communities.

At the beginning of this year, the waiting list for elementary after-school care classrooms reached about 15,000 students, but as a result of actively promoting the resolution of the waiting list from March to April, about 6,600 students were able to benefit from the care classrooms. Chungnam, Busan, Daejeon, and Ulsan completely resolved their waiting lists, while Gyeongbuk and Jeonbuk resolved over 90%, and Gyeonggi, which had the largest number of waitlisted students, resolved 19% (1,342 students).

The Ministry of Education plans to efficiently utilize after-school care classrooms by analyzing usage time per student and apply flexible standards for the number of students per classroom (around 20) in overcrowded areas. Along with this, they will actively utilize various personnel such as care specialists, retired teachers, and senior workforce, considering the circumstances of each metropolitan/provincial office and school. If it is difficult to secure space within schools immediately, they will actively guide and connect students to local care and after-school institutions and provide safe transportation.

Furthermore, in the second semester of this year, approximately 40 billion KRW (planned) in special grants will be additionally invested to recruit and select more education offices and schools wishing to pilot the Increased Care Schools. Currently, Increased Care Schools are being piloted in 5 metropolitan offices of education and 214 schools, and from the second half of this year, they will operate in 7 to 8 metropolitan/provincial offices of education and more than 300 schools.

In particular, the pilot operation of Increased Care Schools in the second semester will focus on expanding high-quality after-school programs. Collaborating with universities, private sectors, and local communities, they will supply various high-quality programs tailored to students' perspectives and continue to expand arts and physical education activities that have high demand and satisfaction among students and parents. The "After-School 1+1" program will also be introduced, which provides one additional after-school program free of charge if a student wishes to take an after-school program.

Additionally, the Ministry of Education is considering gradually relaxing the eligibility criteria for after-school care classrooms, which are currently operated mainly for dual-income families, low-income families, and single-parent households. Specific step-by-step eligibility expansion standards will be established through policy research and opinion gathering, and related contents will be reflected in the "2024 Elementary After-School Care Classroom Guide."

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