Ruling and Opposition Parties Clash Over Jeonnam Office of Education's Student Allowance and ADHD Support

Kim Yongtae: "Populist Policy" vs. Kim Moonsu: "Addressing Regional Decline"
Kim Daesik: "Excessive ADHD Support"... Superintendent Kim Daejung: "Will Review"

On October 22, during the National Assembly Education Committee's audit, lawmakers from both the ruling and opposition parties engaged in heated debate over the Jeonnam Provincial Office of Education's proposed student education allowance and ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) support policies.

Kim Yongtae, a member of the People Power Party representing Pocheon and Gapyeong in Gyeonggi Province, criticized, "The Jeonnam Office of Education's student education allowance budget is 103.9 billion won, more than double that of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, which stands at 51 billion won." He argued, "Expanding the allowance to include middle and high school students from next year is a populist policy ahead of the election." He stressed, "Rather than distributing the allowance to all students, support should be concentrated on those who truly need it, such as low-income families and special education classes." He also urged, "The Ministry of Education should expand penalties for provincial offices of education that provide excessive cash support."

On the other hand, Kim Moonsu, a member of the Democratic Party representing Suncheon, Gwangyang, Gokseong, and Gurye in Jeonnam Province, countered, "In a situation where rural parents are considering moving to large cities, the education allowance plays a role in keeping people in the region." He added, "The suspension of the education allowance under the conservative administration disrupted regional balance. The allowance is similar in nature to a basic income for rural and fishing communities." He further requested, "A concrete analysis of the outcomes of the allowance policy should be presented."

Kim Daejung, Superintendent of Education for Jeonnam Province, explained, "Jeonnam is facing a serious risk of regional extinction, and small schools are rapidly increasing." He said, "Satisfaction with the education allowance, which is jointly funded with local governments, is high." He added, "If the government’s child allowance is extended to children up to the age of eight, we plan to discontinue the allowance for elementary school students and instead expand it to include middle school students."

Controversy also arose regarding the ADHD support policy. Kim Daesik, a member of the People Power Party representing Sasang District in Busan, pointed out, "The number of students diagnosed with ADHD in Jeonnam has increased by 206% over the past five years." He criticized, "By providing 2 million won per student, the Office of Education is actually increasing the number of patients and encouraging the misuse of medication." In response, Superintendent Kim stated, "Although this was an election pledge, we will re-examine the support program."