Summary of 33 Achievements in 7 Major Education Areas
Published as Electronic Documents on the Ministry of Education Website
[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] The Ministry of Education announced on the 20th that it will publish the '5-Year Performance Report on Education' which compiles the achievements of educational innovation over the past five years, including COVID-19 response and improvements in public services.
The Ministry of Education organized the report into 33 key achievements across 7 major areas, including major details, related statistics, photos, and field cases for each achievement. It plans to distribute the report to metropolitan and provincial offices of education, education support offices, and universities as well.
To prevent COVID-19 infection, the ministry conducted the first-ever online opening of elementary, middle, and high schools and fully allowed remote classes at universities. While promoting vaccination for ages 12 to 17, it also guaranteed testing opportunities for confirmed cases over two years and successfully conducted the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) without disruption. To establish a fair college admission system, it improved admission screening data, expanded high school information blinding, and increased the special admission quota for equal opportunity from 11% in 2017 to 15.8% this year.
To reduce the financial burden of education on the public, the ministry fully implemented free high school education starting last year. The number of beneficiaries of half-price tuition increased from 535,000 in 2017 to 675,000 in 2021. The Nuri Curriculum for daycare centers has also been fully funded by the national treasury since 2018.
To create a trustworthy early childhood education environment for parents, the ministry revised the three laws related to kindergartens and implemented them from 2020. It also fully introduced the online admission management system 'Cheoeum Hakgyoro' and the private kindergarten 'K-EduFine' system. The number of public kindergartens was expanded, and elementary after-school care classrooms increased from 11,980 in 2017 to 14,774 in 2021 to provide care for elementary students.
For the transition to future-oriented schools, reconstruction and remodeling of schools over 40 years old began. The ministry prepared key points of the '2022 Revised Curriculum General Guidelines' and has been gradually preparing to introduce the high school credit system to provide customized education suited to students' aptitudes. The establishment of the National Education Commission was also promoted to systematically prepare for future education and base education policies on social consensus.
Policies supporting autonomous innovation within shared and cooperative systems among universities, between universities and regions, and between universities and industries were also implemented. Last year, the 'Digital New Technology Talent Cultivation Innovation Shared University' was established to share educational resources among universities and jointly operate curricula in new technology fields. The 'Local Government-University Cooperation-Based Regional Innovation Project' was promoted to foster innovative talent through cooperation between regional universities and local governments. The 'Higher Education Innovation Special Zone,' the first regulatory sandbox system in higher education, will also be implemented starting this year.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Yoo Eun-hye said, "Over the past five years, we have devoted all our efforts to embracing every child and moving toward future education, especially creating stepping stones for future leaps beyond crisis recovery during the COVID-19 situation." She added, "Going forward, this will lead more meaningful changes in our education and serve as the foundation for nurturing our children into future talents."
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