Elementary School Entry Age In South Korea Can Be Lowered To Five Years Starting In 2025

Illustration of an elementary school in South Korea. (Wikimedia Commons/Daehan31)

JAKARTA - Starting as early as 2025, all children in Korea will likely be allowed to enter primary school one year early, an education ministry report said Friday.

Reporting this year's major policy plans to President Yoon Suk-yeol, the ministry said it would soon begin full discussions on reducing the primary school age, from six to five years.

The ministry said a one-year reduction in school entry age is expected to take effect as early as 2025, if there is social consensus.

Despite the planned school age change, the country's current 6-3-3-4 education system, six years in primary school, three years each in junior high and high school, and four years at university, will remain unchanged. changed, the ministry said.

It is known, under the current system in Ginseng Country, nine years of elementary and middle school is mandatory.

The ministry said the new school age system, if finalized, would be implemented in stages over four years taking into account the limited supply of teachers and school space.

"Initially, a two-year enforcement period was proposed for the new school age system, but the proposal was dropped due to the possibility of enormous confusion," said Education Minister Park Soon-ae, according to the Korea Times July 30.

He said whether parents would agree with the new school age system was another variable, while his ministry would fully listen to the opinions of school officials, education experts and parents.

The minister also said the government would push to integrate kindergartens and daycare centres, which are now overseen separately by the education and health ministries.

Daycare centers usually accept children from a few months to five years of age, whereas kindergartens usually accept children from three years of age to around pre-school age.

The integration of the two institutions has long been discussed as part of efforts to narrow social inequality.

It is known that other policy plans unveiled by the ministry of education include strengthening educational support for persons with disabilities, creating 444 new school classes for multicultural students, providing special guidance for children of North Korean defectors and nurturing 1 million digital professionals by 2027 through additional vocational formations. . middle schools, known as "meister" schools, and special high schools.