[Changes Next Year] Full Implementation of Free High School Education... Reducing Tuition Burden by 1.6 Million Won Per Student Annually

Changes Starting from 2021

Education, Childcare, and Family Sector

[Asia Economy Reporter Joo Sang-don] Starting next year, free education will be implemented for first-year high school students. Including the already implemented free education for second and third-year students, free education will be fully applied to all high school grades. Additionally, childcare and extended childcare teachers at daycare centers will be expanded.

The government announced these changes in the "Changes Starting from 2021" on the 28th.

◆ Full Implementation of Free High School Education = The free high school education currently provided to second and third-year students will be fully expanded in 2021 to include first-year students as well. The support items include entrance fees, tuition fees, school operation support fees, and textbook costs, reducing the annual financial burden by approximately 1.6 million KRW per high school student. Eligible schools include high schools, technical high schools, and various schools under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. However, private schools where the principal sets entrance and tuition fees are excluded.

◆ Expansion of Assistant and Extended Childcare Teachers = To reduce the workload of childcare teachers and ensure their break times, assistant and extended childcare teachers will be expanded. The number will increase by 6,000 compared to the previous year, with 28,000 assistant teachers and 30,000 extended childcare teachers. This is in response to the high demand for extended childcare teachers newly introduced under the childcare support system revised in March this year, aiming to alleviate childcare teachers' workload by significantly increasing support personnel in many daycare centers. The support covers the wages of assistant and extended childcare teachers working at daycare centers (1,011,000 KRW in 2021) and employer contributions (30%).

◆ Strengthening the Level of Education Benefits = The amount of education benefits (such as education activity support expenses) provided to students from low-income households will be increased. Existing supplementary textbook and school supplies expenses will be integrated into education activity support expenses, with amounts raised to 286,000 KRW for elementary students, 376,000 KRW for middle school students, and 448,000 KRW for high school students, representing an average increase of 24% compared to the previous year.

◆ Expansion of Childcare Service Support = To reduce the financial burden on families using childcare services, government support will be expanded. Previously, families using hourly services received government support up to 720 hours annually, but this will be extended to 840 hours. The government support rate for service fees will also increase: for infant full-day type A (households with median income 75% or below), from 80% to 85%, and for hourly type B (households with median income 120% or below), from 55% to 60%, reducing out-of-pocket expenses by 5% respectively. Additionally, support for vulnerable low-income groups (median income 75% or below) will be strengthened, allowing single-parent families and families with disabled parents or disabled children to receive up to 90% support for service fees.

◆ Support for Preservation Meal Equipment in Small-Scale Daycare Centers = Daycare centers with 50 or more children are required to preserve leftover meals to quickly identify causes in case of food poisoning or other incidents. However, small-scale daycare centers that are not collective meal service providers are not currently obligated to preserve leftover meals. Therefore, preservation of leftover meals will be mandated for small-scale daycare centers (21 to less than 50 children), and equipment such as freezers and preservation containers necessary for storing leftover meals will be supported. This aims to create an environment where food poisoning incidents in smaller daycare centers can be tracked and managed to prevent the spread of food poisoning and enable post-incident management. The government is also considering recommending leftover meal preservation for daycare centers with fewer than 20 children.