Teachers' Association: The Term 'Yuchiwon' Is a Remnant of Japanese Colonial Rule... Should Be Changed to 'Yua School'

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The Ministry of Education has announced plans to integrate kindergartens and daycare centers into one system starting in 2025, while teacher organizations are demanding that the term 'yuchiwon' (kindergarten) be changed to 'yua hakgyo' (early childhood school).

On the 15th, the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union, the National Public Kindergarten Teachers Union, and the Korea Public Kindergarten Teachers Association launched the 'Yua Hakgyo Name Change Promotion Coalition,' stating, "We must change the name of kindergartens to yua hakgyo to take the first step in establishing early childhood education as a public education institution."

According to the coalition, the term yuchiwon originated from the Japanese early childhood education institution name 'yochien (幼稚園),' transcribed into Korean pronunciation. The first kindergarten in Korea was established during the Japanese colonial period and had a painful history of restricting education to Japanese children. For this reason, the coalition argues that, just as 'gukmin hakgyo' (national school) was renamed 'chodeung hakgyo' (elementary school), yuchiwon should also be changed to yua hakgyo.

Furthermore, they pointed out that unlike elementary, middle, and high schools, kindergartens do not carry the name 'hakgyo' (school), which may have led to a lower social perception of them as educational institutions. The coalition stated, "Changing the name of kindergartens to yua hakgyo is very meaningful in establishing their status as schools, shifting public perception as educational institutions, strengthening publicness and public education, and eradicating remnants of Japanese colonial rule."

In the National Assembly, in 2020, Assemblyman Kang Deuk-gu of the Democratic Party of Korea proposed an amendment to the Early Childhood Education Act to change the name to yua hakgyo, but it is still pending.

The coalition announced plans to conduct a public consent petition, teacher signature campaigns, meetings with lawmakers, and press conferences related to the name change to yua hakgyo in the future.