Ministry of Education Launches Comprehensive Survey on 'Out-of-School Youth'... Inter-Agency Data Integration and Comprehensive Measures Planned

170,000 Out-of-School Youth Identified as Blind Spots
Initiative to Establish Basic Statistics on School-Age Children and Adolescents
Strengthening Support by Identifying Students at Risk of Dropping Out
Implementation of Self-Reliance and Employment Support Services

The Ministry of Education is promoting cooperation with related ministries to strengthen the management system for out-of-school youth. They plan to link child and youth data from various ministries such as the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, Ministry of Employment and Labor, Ministry of Justice, and Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to build statistics. Additionally, they will identify students at risk of dropping out and enhance tailored support.

On the afternoon of the 27th, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Lee Ju-ho visited the Mapo Youth Culture House in Mapo-gu, Seoul, held a Social Relations Ministers' Meeting, and announced the "Support Measures for Students at Risk of Dropping Out and Out-of-School Youth." Attendees included officials from the National Education Commission, Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, Seoul Metropolitan Government, Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, and Korea Youth Activity Promotion Agency, who discussed cooperation plans among related agencies.

Until now, dropout prevention policies have been promoted by the Ministry of Education, while support policies for out-of-school youth have been led by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family. Through this plan, the Ministry of Education seeks to strengthen inter-agency linkage and cooperation and explore comprehensive policy measures for youth both inside and outside schools.

The Ministry of Education plans to establish a legal basis to identify information on out-of-school youth. To this end, they will promote the construction of "Basic Statistics on School-Age Children and Youth" by linking various child and youth data held by related ministries based on the Statistics Korea's Child Household Registration Database. Furthermore, they will conduct a survey on students experiencing academic difficulties and alternative education institutions to grasp the current status.

An official from the Ministry of Education explained, "(Unlike existing policies) we plan to conduct a full survey of out-of-school youth to provide detailed support," adding, "The total number of out-of-school youth is estimated to be around 170,000." The intention is to integrate partial data identified by each ministry to compile comprehensive information on all out-of-school youth.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Based on this, the Ministry of Education will collaborate with related ministries to identify students at risk of dropping out and strengthen tailored support. They will establish a "Student Customized Integrated Support System" that provides integrated diagnosis and individualized support for students at risk of dropping out. The number of pilot schools will be expanded from the current 96 to 248 next year. Additionally, regular checks on students with long-term unexcused absences will be conducted twice a year, and face-to-face observations will be mandatory if there are various types of absence records.

To address factors causing dropout risks, "alternative classrooms" within schools will also be expanded. In particular, they are considering revising related regulations to allow industry-experienced teachers to operate alternative classroom lessons. Furthermore, the designation of alternative education entrusted institutions will be expanded to respond to dropout risk situations.

Measures to support career planning and academic achievement for out-of-school youth are also included. Retired and active teachers will provide learning support through Out-of-School Youth Support Centers, and entrance exam briefings and college admission counseling will be offered. In addition, Out-of-School Youth Support Centers will provide independence and employment support services, and a 5% additional score will be granted when applying for polytechnic degree and non-degree programs. For schools where students wish to return, procedural guidance will be strengthened, and academic return support programs will be provided.

Health checkup items for out-of-school youth will be expanded to the student level, and depending on the degree of mental health crisis, connections to specialized institutions will be made. Customized sports programs will also be operated in cooperation with sports organizations and designated sports clubs.

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