‘Hot Potato’ Yubo Integration Begins in Earnest…Field ‘Opposes’, Parents ‘Welcome’

Teacher Organizations "Field Opinions Not Properly Collected"
Parents "Start of Policy Roadmap for Children"

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Byung-don] As the long-standing educational issue of integrating daycare centers and kindergartens, so-called ‘Yubotonghap’ (integration of early childhood education and care), is set to be actively promoted this year, there is a sharp temperature gap between the education field and parents.

On the 5th, the Ministry of Education reported the 2023 major work promotion plan, ‘Education Reform, the Beginning of Korea’s Leap Forward,’ at the Blue House State Guest House. The report included Yubotonghap, which integrates early childhood education and care, currently separated into kindergartens and daycare centers. Yubotonghap is also one of the national agenda items of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration.

First, the Ministry of Education plans to establish the Yubotonghap Promotion Team and the Yubotonghap Promotion Committee jointly with related ministries in January. Once these bodies are established, by next year, comprehensive enactment and revision of related laws, integration of funding (Early Childhood Education Support Special Account, national treasury, local government funds), and unification of central and local management systems will be pursued, along with organizational, financial, and legal system improvements.

Additionally, the Ministry of Education plans to prepare a ‘Management System Integration Plan’ in the first half of this year and a ‘Plan to Reduce the Gap between Daycare Centers and Kindergartens’ in the second half. The ‘3rd Basic Plan for Early Childhood Education Development (2023?2027),’ which includes the plan to establish the foundation for Yubotonghap, will be formulated by February this year.

Once laws and finances are organized by next year, Yubotonghap will be fully implemented starting in 2025. Yubotonghap has been an unresolved challenge in education for 30 years. Since daycare centers are under the Ministry of Health and Welfare and kindergartens under the Ministry of Education, discrepancies arise in budget and administrative execution, and most of the resulting disadvantages have been borne by children and parents.

Accordingly, the Ministry of Education has set a plan to fully digitalize administration and finances through Yubotonghap and transparently manage early childhood facilities.

However, as this plan was announced, strong opposition arose in the education field. Teacher organizations argue that the process of gathering opinions through the promotion team by the Ministry of Education is being rushed and that field opinions cannot be properly reflected.

The Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union (Jeon-gyo-jo) demands prioritizing measures to strengthen the public nature of early childhood education rather than hasty promotion. Jeon-gyo-jo proposed preemptive solutions for phased tasks such as △ renaming kindergartens to ‘early childhood schools’ △ applying a maximum of 14 children per class and increasing teachers △ expanding public kindergartens and corporatizing private kindergartens △ guaranteeing school enrollment choice rights for compulsory education candidates △ strengthening kindergarten care systems.

The Korea Federation of Teachers’ Associations also emphasized, “The starting point of Yubotonghap is renaming kindergartens to early childhood schools.” Regarding this, they demand, “There is no reason why kindergartens, which are clearly schools under the Framework Act on Education, cannot be renamed as early childhood schools.”

On the other hand, parents have expressed their welcome. The ‘Parents’ Coalition for Ministry of Education-led Yubotonghap Promotion’ stated, “The administrative notice announcing the Ministry of Education-led Yubotonghap and the establishment of the promotion team signals the start of the Yubotonghap roadmap, and we welcome this,” evaluating it as “the culmination of hopes and efforts to put an end to the 30-year controversy and design policies solely for the children.”

Although there is a clear temperature gap between the two sides regarding Yubotonghap, the government’s directive is firm. After receiving the work report, President Yoon Suk-yeol clearly expressed support for Yubotonghap, saying, “Taking care of people ultimately means teaching people, so the time has come for care to be incorporated into the education system.”