Criticism During the Budget and Accounts Special Committee Deliberation
Park Soon-beom, a member of the Gyeongbuk Provincial Council's Budget and Accounts Special Committee (People Power Party·Chilgok 2), strongly criticized the Gyeongbuk Office of Education regarding issues in the 2024 budget formulation during the 1st Budget and Accounts Special Committee meeting on the 5th.
Councilor Park pointed out that despite childcare centers having 4 more hours of care time than kindergartens (8 hours), the Nuri Curriculum subsidies are 30,000 to 40,000 KRW less than those for kindergartens, and there is also a gap in childcare teacher allowances. He questioned the Gyeongbuk Office of Education, which is a leading education office for the integration of childcare and kindergarten, about measures to resolve these cost disparities through the integrated childcare budget.
Councilor Park said, "The speed of population decline in our country is faster than the population decline in Europe during the 14th century caused by the Black Death," and added, "One of the causes of population decline in our country is the burden of infant and toddler childcare costs."
As a solution to this population decline issue, he urged the Gyeongbuk Office of Education to prepare measures for free education and free meals at childcare centers and kindergartens.
Furthermore, with teacher rights violations increasing about 2.5 times over the past two years (2020?2022), and problems being resolved through individual teachers’ sick leave and leave of absence, the budget for teacher liability insurance to support teachers in lawsuits related to rights violations was set at 80 million KRW, a 60% reduction from 200 million KRW in 2022. The Gyeongbuk Office of Education was strongly criticized for its complacent budget formulation, as it still does not recognize the seriousness of teacher rights violations.
Councilor Park of the Gyeongbuk Provincial Council urged, "If the Gyeongbuk Office of Education recklessly formulates the budget with a narrow view on infant and toddler childcare issues and teachers, who in Gyeongsangbuk-do will be able to raise children?" He called for the budget to be realistically formulated.
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