"Neulbom, Does School Really Have to Do It?"... Examining the 'Neulbom School' Policy Proposed by the Public

'Hamkkehakgyo' 15 Policy Proposals in the Last Month
'Practical Staff Must Have Teacher Certification', 'Care Should Be at Home', 'Neulbom Transferred to Local Government' Proposed
Experts "Partially Agree" "Factual Errors" Opinions

'Neulbom School,' which integrates after-school care and education at elementary schools, will begin next month. While there is a positive view that the state is taking responsibility for the 'care' needs of dual-income parents, concerns remain about whether it is appropriate for schools, as educational institutions, to handle care, and how the workload of teachers and public officials will be managed.

As of the 9th, 15 proposals related to Neulbom School have been posted on 'Hamkke School,' a platform where citizens suggest education policies. Experts partially agreed with some policy directions conveyed by teachers, parents, and general citizens, while correcting others as 'incorrect facts.'

On the 4th, a prospective new student is looking around the classroom at Wonmyeong Elementary School in Seocho-gu, Seoul, during the 'New Student Preliminary Assembly.' Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

"Shouldn't Neulbom School be staffed by graduates from teacher colleges?"

Teacher A and parent B argued that Neulbom School staff such as the Neulbom Support Office director, administrative staff, and program instructors should hold an 'elementary school teacher certification.' Their intention was to enhance the credibility of Neulbom School and utilize teacher college graduates who have not become teachers due to teacher oversupply. According to the current Ministry of Education policy, Neulbom administrative staff and support office directors are all public officials, and teacher certification is not mandatory. Program instructors are mainly external instructors (existing after-school instructors).

An expert said this proposal contains 'errors.' Professor Park Nam-gi of Gwangju National University of Education stated, "There is a misconception that there is a surplus of teacher college graduates who have not become teachers, but that is not the case. So far, there has been no case where someone passed the teacher appointment exam but was not assigned." He added, "The roles of teacher college graduates and administrative staff are different. If people with elementary teacher certification are assigned to administrative tasks at Neulbom School, they will raise complaints."

"Care should be at home... Support for home caregivers rather than Neulbom School"

There are also policy proposals questioning the 'fundamental' aspect of Neulbom School. They argue that care should primarily be supported at home, which should be the main space for care, rather than at school. Teacher C proposed expanding support for home caregivers, and parent D suggested increasing the time parents can stay at home through working hours reform.

Experts agreed that these proposals are ideal policies. However, they said Neulbom School is necessary as a step toward these ideal proposals in reality. Professor Park explained, "Parental care is the best and optimal policy, but it requires a lot of resources. The state wants to provide care at a lower cost, and parents want to send their children to a safe space, which overlaps to create Neulbom School."

Professor Jeong Jae-hoon of Seoul Women's University’s Department of Social Welfare said, "Labor market reform or flexible and elastic working hours to reduce parents' working hours should naturally go hand in hand," but advised, "It is unreasonable to say Neulbom School should not exist until the labor market changes."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

"Social care should be handled by local governments, not schools"

While agreeing with the idea of the state providing care, some argue that the responsible entity should be local governments rather than schools (education). Teacher E expressed concern that "passing Neulbom responsibilities onto schools lowers the quality of both the regular curriculum and care," and that "education budgets are used for care, which degrades educational quality." Therefore, they argue that Neulbom School should be transferred to local governments, which have care centers and abundant human and material resources.

Professor Jeong emphasized that "education and care cannot be completely separated." He said, "The fusion of education and care is a global trend," and "We need to change the mindset that teachers are only instructors, not caregivers." He added, "Schools are also the best safe spaces," noting that "most after-school activities overseas are conducted within schools."

On the other hand, Professor Park agreed on the need for cooperation with local governments, saying, "There is not much care space available in schools." He explained, "Elementary teachers conduct research activities and everything else in classrooms in the afternoon, so they have to give up those classrooms. It’s like suddenly losing a research room." He suggested, "It is better to collaborate with local governments and provide support according to each situation."

The Ministry of Education responded similarly to proposals requesting the transfer of Neulbom School to local governments. The Ministry stated, "Parents perceive schools as the safest spaces, and schools are the most convenient places for students without additional travel burdens," and added, "Neulbom School is not just simple care but a customized educational program, so the transfer to local governments should be discussed within a broader framework." Earlier, a survey conducted by the Ministry from the 1st to 7th of last month targeting 52,655 prospective first-grade parents showed that 83.6% preferred Neulbom School operated mainly at schools.

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