Gov't hit for lax monitoring of kindergartens
Rep. Park Yong-jin speaks during a parliamentary audit at the National Assembly, Monday. /Yonhap
By Kim Jae-heun
The Ministry of Education (MOE) is under fire for its belated action against years-long corruption at private kindergartens amid intensifying criticism on the wrongdoings exposed from last week's parliamentary audit.
Last Thursday, Rep. Park Yong-jin of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea announced that he discovered 5,951 corruption cases at 1,878 preschools during the period from 2013 to 2017 and identified the name of each institute.
As a result, the education ministry is taking flak for lackadaisical monitoring of the kindergartens, and is considering revealing the names of all the kindergartens linked to any irregularities _ a departure from its existing stance of refusing to identify any institutes.
“As corruption at the private kindergartens is causing a huge controversy, the education ministry is belatedly considering identifying those kindergartens,” said a representative of a parent group.
Her response came as the education ministry is discussing measures to build a higher sense of accountability for private kindergartens.
“We will announce new comprehensive plans for strengthened transparent accounting and an audit system by as early as next week,” said a ministry official.
According to Park, many of the kindergartens had their staffers embezzle public money for personal use such as paying their house maintenance fees or buying luxurious goods. Some teachers were found to have spent public money on karaoke or for accommodations for their own use.
Nearly 2 trillion won is allocated for educational expenditures for private kindergartens every year across the country.
“I did not include other corruption allegations that are in a current lawsuit or those that being inspected by metropolitan and provincial offices of education. If I reveal them all, the number of kindergartens that committed irregularities and the amount of public money misappropriated will become larger,” the lawmaker said.
Superintendents have the authority to supervise and inspect the educational institutions. It is also their decision to reveal the names of corrupt private kindergartens.
However, the ministry said it will name names under the agreement of superintendents as many of the parents believe in punishing the law breakers.
A number of parents have filed petitions on Cheong Wa Dae's website, urging punishment of the corrupt kindergartens.
One of the petitions by a mother with three children said the government should cut education expenditures and force the corrupt kindergartens to pay back the embezzled money. She also urged the disqualification of the directors of the institutes.
Meanwhile, the education industry is claiming that private kindergartens should also adopt “Edufine,” a school accounting system for public kindergartens.
Small private kindergartens do not have enough staff and it is no use to adopt Edufine, but it will be effective in preventing the irregularities at middle-sized or big private kindergartens, according to education insiders.
Other countermeasures against the corruptions suggest the founders of the kindergartens or the directors should use corporate business, which would prevent them from using public money for their personal use.