Kindergarten Teachers' Union Calls to Change Japanese-Derived Term "Kindergarten" to "Early Childhood School"

Call for Renaming "Kindergarten" to "Early Childhood School" on the 80th Anniversary of Liberation
Aiming to Eliminate Colonial Legacies and Strengthen State Responsibility for Early Childhood Education
Union Urges National Assembly and Ministry of Education to Pass the Name Change Bill

The National Public Kindergarten Teachers' Union (Kindergarten Teachers' Union) has called for the term "kindergarten," a Japanese-derived word from the colonial era, to be changed to "Early Childhood School" in commemoration of the 80th anniversary of Liberation.

On August 13, the Kindergarten Teachers' Union stated, "The term 'kindergarten' was introduced to Korea by Japan as a translation of the German word 'Kindergarten' into 'Yochien,' and it has continued to be used even 80 years after liberation." The union added, "Legally, kindergartens are 'schools,' but the absence of the word 'school' in the name prevents them from being fully recognized as educational institutions, and they continue to be misunderstood as childcare or daycare centers."

The union further explained, "Changing the name to 'Early Childhood School' is not simply a matter of terminology, but a symbolic shift to establish early childhood education as the first formal school education operated under state responsibility."

The Kindergarten Teachers' Union argued, "The name 'Early Childhood School' will mark the starting point for the state to take responsibility for the universalization and compulsory nature of early childhood education, guarantee its public and equitable character, and raise the professionalism and social status of early childhood teachers." The union added, "Through this change, early childhood education can be recognized not as 'preparatory education,' but as the first stage of formal school education in life."

Since its founding, the Kindergarten Teachers' Union has made changing the name to 'Early Childhood School' a key policy goal. The union explained that simultaneously strengthening the public nature of early childhood education and eliminating remnants of Japanese colonial rule are the core of educational reform. In both the 21st and 22nd National Assembly sessions, Kang Deukgu, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, has continuously proposed amendments to the Early Childhood Education Act, fostering cooperation between the field and the political sphere.

Marking the 80th anniversary of Liberation this year, the Kindergarten Teachers' Union urged the National Assembly and the Ministry of Education to promptly process the bill to change the name to 'Early Childhood School.'

The union also emphasized that local education offices and the education sector must join forces to ensure that early childhood education is recognized as the starting point of the public education system, equal to elementary, middle, and high school education.

Chairperson Yoon Ji-hye stated, "Changing the name to enhance the status of early childhood education and strengthen the public education system is an urgent task that can no longer be delayed," adding, "The Ministry of Education and the political community must responsibly discuss and implement this task."