Reviewing the Budget Items for Transfer
Special Policy Budget Alone 600 Billion Won
Local Governments Oppose Saying Transfer is Difficult
Ministry of Education: "Possible if Law is Amended"
The government has announced the transfer of budgets from each provincial office and city/county/district office for the integration of childcare services, but local governments are resisting, causing ongoing difficulties. The logic is that it is practically impossible to transfer the budget because support situations vary by site. The relevant budget amounts to about 1.8 trillion won out of the 5 trillion won scale childcare budget.
'Childcare Integration' Budget Transfer Pushed by Government
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Lee Ju-ho is entering the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on June 27 to announce the integrated implementation plan for early childhood education and care. Photo by Yonhap News
According to data on ‘Childcare-related Budgets by 17 Provincial and Local Governments’ received by Go Min-jeong of the Democratic Party from the Ministry of Education on the 25th, the total childcare-related budget borne by provinces and city/county/districts based on last year’s local government settlement was 4.9 trillion won.
According to the ‘Unified Childcare Management System Plan’ announced by the Ministry of Education last July, the Ministry of Health and Welfare, provincial offices, and city/county/district offices’ staff and budgets for infant and toddler childcare will be entirely transferred to the Ministry of Education. The plan is to complete legal amendments for the transfer of duties and finances by the end of this year and then proceed with the transfer after a transition period. The Ministry of Education anticipates the transition period to be about one to one and a half years.
According to the so-called ‘Childcare Integration Three Acts (Amendments to the Local Education Autonomy Act, Infant and Toddler Childcare Act, and Local Education Finance Grant Act)’ proposed last month by Kim Min-jeon and Seo Ji-young of the People Power Party, the childcare finances previously borne by local governments will be specially transferred to the education special account. Park Dae-rim, the Ministry of Education’s Infant and Toddler Support Officer, stated, "The amendment establishes the legal basis to transfer all existing childcare-related budgets based on the previous year’s settlement," adding, "In cases where it becomes difficult for the education office to receive funds on-site, such as childcare allowances, provisions will be made to allow local government heads to use the budget."
Local Governments and Experts Also Say "Cannot Transfer Own Project Budgets"
However, local governments argue that it is difficult to transfer budgets for special policy projects that local governments independently plan and support to the education office. This is because the types and scales of projects vary by local government and are often promoted according to the will of the local government heads. Based on last year’s settlement, the national treasury subsidy project budget was about 3.0318 trillion won, and the special policy project budget was about 1.8838 trillion won.
The scale of special policy project budgets also varies significantly by region. Gyeonggi-do, which has the largest childcare-related budget, has a total budget of 1.2868 trillion won, of which the special policy budget accounts for 605.9 billion won, about half. Seoul’s total is 1.2273 trillion won, with the special policy budget at about one-third, 410.3 billion won. In other provinces and city/county/district units, the special policy budget accounts for between 30% and nearly half of the total childcare-related budget. On-site, there are concerns that budget issues will cause disruptions in work. A childcare officer in Area A expressed a negative view on transferring local government funds in a phone interview with Asia Economy. A childcare officer in Area B explained, "The local government budget itself is small, so there are difficulties (in the transfer)," adding, "We are expressing opposition."
The National Council of Provincial and Metropolitan Superintendents of Education also urged at its general meeting on the 21st, stating, "The transfer of infant and toddler childcare expenses currently borne by local government heads is unclear," and "We express concern about the impact on the educational field if childcare-related duties are transferred to the education office." An education expert said, "It will be difficult to force even half of the special policy budget to be transferred," adding, "From the perspective of local government heads, it is money that could be invested elsewhere, so they may ask why they should give it away."
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