Party and Government: "Infant and Toddler Care Duties Transferred from Ministry of Health and Welfare to Ministry of Education"

People Power Party to Submit Government Organization Act Amendment
Government "Will Cooperate with Local Governments to Implement Follow-up Measures"

The People Power Party and the government have decided to prioritize transferring the Ministry of Health and Welfare's infant and toddler childcare duties to the Ministry of Education's metropolitan and provincial offices of education. The People Power Party plans to submit a revision bill to the Government Organization Act, and the government intends to work with local governments to implement follow-up measures such as personnel and financial transfers.

On the 28th, Park Dae-chul, the policy chief of the People Power Party, stated in a briefing after a party-government meeting on the unified childcare management system, "Due to the recent severe low birthrate, many daycare centers and kindergartens have closed, raising concerns about the crisis in early childhood education and care institutions," adding, "We have decided to prioritize the unification of the management system by transferring the Ministry of Health and Welfare's metropolitan and provincial infant and toddler childcare duties to the Ministry of Education's metropolitan and provincial offices of education."

If the Government Organization Act proposed by the party and government passes, the childcare system, which is currently divided between daycare centers and kindergartens, will be merged. Park said, "To allow families to feel the effects of the unified management system first, we have decided to promptly implement measures such as providing non-discriminatory meals between daycare centers and kindergartens," adding, "The party has requested that even before the full unification of childcare and education, pilot education offices leading the integration be operated from the second half of the year so that parents and teachers of young children can experience the benefits."

Kim Ki-hyun, leader of the People Power Party, is speaking at the party-government consultation meeting on the unified management system for milk and infant formula held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul on the morning of the 28th. 2023.7.28
[Photo by Yonhap News]

He continued, "This will include quality meals, meal cost support, labor cost support, and childcare fees," and added, "The party and government have agreed to actively pursue follow-up legislative measures to ensure the smooth implementation of the childcare and education integration."

Attending the party-government meeting were Kim Ki-hyun, leader of the People Power Party, Yoon Jae-ok, floor leader, and ruling party secretaries from the National Assembly's Administrative and Security Committee, Health and Welfare Committee, and Education Committee. From the government side, Lee Ju-ho, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education, Cho Kyu-hong, Minister of Health and Welfare, and Bang Moon-kyu, Director of the Office for Government Policy Coordination, were present.

In his opening remarks, Leader Kim Ki-hyun said, "In the field, there is a saying that unifying childcare and education is even more difficult than North-South unification, highlighting how challenging this achievement is," emphasizing, "At this moment when every child is precious and must be nurtured as a national talent, the integration of childcare and education is an unavoidable and essential national task." He added, "Since daycare centers and kindergartens are the first institutions children encounter after birth, the management system's efficiency must be unified to ensure the highest level of service regardless of which institution they attend."

Deputy Prime Minister Lee Ju-ho said, "If the management system is unified, one ministry will be responsible for more swiftly coordinating the remaining issues," and added, "Going forward, the Ministry of Education will closely cooperate with the party in executing major tasks, starting with the unification of the management system." Minister of Health and Welfare Cho Kyu-hong also emphasized, "We will actively cooperate to ensure that children, parents, and teachers do not experience any inconvenience on the ground and that childcare duties are smoothly carried out during the transition period."

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