Lifelong Education Voucher to Be Issued First to Low-Income Groups

Ministry of Education Announces Legislative Notice for the Enforcement Decree of the Lifelong Education Act Until October 20

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] Regulations prioritizing the issuance of lifelong education vouchers to underprivileged groups such as low-income individuals will be introduced.

On the 7th, the Ministry of Education announced that it will give prior notice of the partial amendment to the Enforcement Decree of the Lifelong Education Act from the 8th until October 20th. The Lifelong Education Act amendment was promulgated last June, and the enforcement decree is being revised to specify the details of the lifelong education voucher support project.

Once the enforcement decree is amended, underprivileged groups in lifelong education such as basic livelihood security recipients, near-poverty groups, persons with disabilities, and single-parent families will become eligible to receive lifelong education vouchers on a priority basis.

The lifelong education voucher support project provides educational opportunities to low-income adults by granting 350,000 KRW per person. Outstanding users (top 20% of all users) receive an additional 350,000 KRW. Lifelong education voucher users can freely attend desired courses at over 1,700 institutions nationwide.

As the scale of the support project expands under the amendment to the Lifelong Education Act, and the number of users and institutions increases, management against misuse and lending will be strengthened. To fairly select recipients, income and property investigation items necessary for recipient selection are stipulated, and with the applicant's consent, cooperation from related agencies can be requested.

The amendment to the Lifelong Education Act also grants local governments the authority to issue lifelong education vouchers. The enforcement decree stipulates detailed matters such as operating information systems and designating dedicated institutions to issue vouchers according to regional demand and ensure smooth operation.

If there are any opinions on this amendment, they can be submitted by October 20th through the Integrated Legislative Notice Center website, mail, fax, or email.

Jung Byung-ik, Director of the Lifelong Education Bureau at the Ministry of Education, said, "Through this amendment to the enforcement decree, we will be able to respond to the increasing demand for lifelong learning due to new technological innovations and demographic changes, and lay the foundation for expanding educational opportunities for underprivileged lifelong education groups. We will improve the system to reduce lifelong education disparities and strengthen cooperation with local governments and others."