Deferred Integration Starts as 'Young and Infant School'... Opposition Saying "Will Not Participate"

City and Provincial Offices of Education Launch Contest for Infant and Toddler Schools
Pilot Project Applying Integrated Early Childhood Education Tasks in Advance
JeonGyoJo "No Concrete Plan" Refusal Signature Campaign

Although metropolitan and provincial offices of education have started the call for applications for the pilot project of 'Young Children Schools' under the childcare and kindergarten integration initiative, there is considerable opposition from teacher organizations.While this is a process to preliminarily assess the integrated system combining daycare centers and kindergartens, some have expressed intentions to abstain, citing vague detailed implementation plans.

According to education circles on the 22nd, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education's Childcare-Kindergarten Integration Promotion Team began accepting applications for the pilot operation of Young Children Schools via official letters and emails until the 25th. They will select at least three kindergartens and three daycare centers each to operate from September. The Jeju Provincial Office of Education held briefing sessions for teachers ahead of this month's call for applications, and the Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education is preparing by forming a policy consultative body prior to the pilot operation.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Young Children Schools are a pilot model that applies the 'childcare-kindergarten integration' task by combining daycare centers, which focus on care, and kindergartens, which focus on education. On the 27th of last month, the Ministry of Education announced plans to implement tasks such as extended operating hours and improved teacher-to-young-child ratios in Young Children Schools. Operating hours will be extended from the basic 8 hours by an additional 4 hours, totaling 12 hours, and the teacher-to-child ratio will be improved by age group, aiming to change the average ratio in 3- to 5-year-old classes from 1:12 to 1:8. The plan is to select around 100 Young Children Schools this year and expand to approximately 3,100 schools by 2027.

Originally, the Ministry of Education announced in January that the childcare-kindergarten integration pilot project would be promoted under the name 'model schools' starting in March this year, but it was delayed for nearly half a year. A Ministry of Education official explained, "The delay was due to establishing a foundation so that parents could feel the benefits of the childcare-kindergarten integration," adding, "However, the number of operating institutions has increased from the original 30 to about 100."

However, the childcare-kindergarten integration pilot project has faced strong criticism immediately after its belated launch. Teacher organizations have expressed refusal to participate, citing the absence of a 'concrete implementation plan.' The Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union held a 'Declaration of Refusal of the Young Children Schools Pilot Project' press conference this morning, based on a signature campaign by kindergarten teachers in the field. The union stated, "The Ministry of Education's draft plan for implementing childcare-kindergarten integration contains only tasks without concrete implementation plans," and declared, "We will fully reject the Young Children Schools pilot project."