"Reliability and Feasibility Deficiencies"
Local Government Exchange Personnel, Treatment, and Workplace Capacity
Qualifications, Subjects, and Credits for 'Integrated Teachers' Must Be Presented
The National Assembly Budget Office expressed concerns about the 'Yubo Integration' initiative promoted by the Ministry of Education, stating that a concrete plan is needed on whether the budgets previously allocated by local governments can be directly transferred to metropolitan and provincial offices of education. It also analyzed that detailed criteria for the integrated teacher qualification, to be introduced from 2026, must be presented.
According to the National Assembly Budget Office on the 23rd, in the materials titled "Evaluation of Early Childhood Education and Childcare Support Projects to Overcome Low Birthrate" released the previous day, it pointed out that "a thorough review is necessary on whether the budgets autonomously allocated by local governments for their own projects, depending on their financial conditions, can be transferred as is to metropolitan and provincial offices of education for support."
Currently, the approximately 2 trillion won special childcare policy projects independently promoted by local governments are projects decided and implemented autonomously by the local governments. The Budget Office explained that there is no legal basis for the central government to forcibly transfer these projects. It added that conflicts have arisen between education offices and local governments as the actual grant amounts were lower than the estimated increase of more than 3.5 trillion won annually in local education finance grants when the expansion of financial support for the Nuri Curriculum was announced in 2012.
To address this, the Budget Office emphasized that a detailed plan for the transfer of local government personnel and assets, along with legal amendments, must accompany the process. The office stated, "It is necessary to specifically review how to handle the treatment of personnel being transferred and whether metropolitan and provincial offices of education have the capacity at their workplaces." As of April last year, about 1,904 personnel were responsible for early childhood care duties at metropolitan/provincial offices and city/county/district offices nationwide.
Additionally, the Budget Office criticized that concrete measures for securing funding for Yubo Integration have not been established. It analyzed, "Despite the considerable budget required, the 'Yubo Integration Implementation Plan' only mentions the establishment of a special account for education and care responsibilities, without providing estimated budget requirements or funding plans," adding, "The absence of rough budget estimates or funding strategies undermines the plan's credibility and feasibility."
Furthermore, it urged the need to specify standards for the qualification and training system of integrated teachers. The Budget Office said, "Although the integrated teacher qualification is planned to be introduced from 2026 and current teachers are expected to obtain this qualification, detailed curricula such as eligible qualifications, subjects, content, and credits have not yet been determined," and recommended, "Clear and specific measures should be presented regarding the integration of qualification and treatment differences among current teachers and their retraining. A multifaceted review is necessary to prevent any teacher shortages caused by the Yubo Integration initiative."
According to the 'Yubo Integration Implementation Plan' announced by the Ministry of Education in June, the standards for qualification, training, establishment, and operation of integrated teachers will be finalized in the second half of this year after gathering opinions.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Education held a public hearing at Seoul National University of Education on the morning of the same day to collect opinions from teacher organizations, parents, and the education community to decide the name of the integrated early childhood education and care institution. From July 1, pilot operations will be conducted targeting 17 education offices and 152 pilot schools.
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