By Jun Ji-hye
The main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) on Sunday called on the government to share the cost of free school meals and child-care programs, siding with local governments and regional educational offices.
The issue of free welfare has recently become a hot potato in the National Assembly after the House began budget deliberations for next year.
The central government and the ruling Saenuri Party are maintaining that local governments and regional educational offices should bear the cost of free school meals and free child care.
The NPAD downplayed this, claiming that the Park Geun-hye government is shifting its responsibility to provincial governments. The largest opposition party urged the government to support any shortfall among the local governments.
“The Park administration and the governing party should face up to the reality of our children and reflect on themselves before shifting their responsibility to local governments and educational offices,” said Rep. Woo Yoon-keun, NPAD floor leader.
Woo said that the government’s latest position regarding free welfare is a break from President Park’s campaign pledge that called for free childcare and preschool education.
The rival parties’ conflict comes because some provincial governors from the Saenuri Party, including South Gyeongsang Province Governor Hong Joon-pyo, are refusing to allocate budgets for free school meals, citing a lack of money. In response, a number of regional educational chiefs affiliated with the NPAD are not allotting outlays for free childcare.
Cheong Wa Dae responded that offering free childcare and the preschool education program is a legal obligation of local governments.
“Early Childhood Education Act, Infant Care Act and Local Finance Act stipulate such obligations of provincial governments,” said An Chong-bum, presidential secretary for economic affairs.
Ah argued that providing free school meals has no legal basis, so it is at the provincial governors’ own discretion.
“The central government is also making an effort to resolve the budget problems of the local governments,” he said.
The clash between the two camps regarding free welfare is expected to continue until the end of this month when the Special Committee on Budget and Accounts is scheduled to complete its deliberation.
Follow Jun Ji-hye on Twitter @TheKopJihye