Ahn calls for school system reform

By Kim Hyo-jin

Ahn Cheol-soo

Presidential contender Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo vowed Monday to revamp the country’s school system, if elected to the top office.

In a speech at the National Assembly, the former chairman of the second-largest opposition People’s Party said educational reform, to prepare for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, is urgent.

“Education will be a driving force for our economic transition,” he said. “Educational reform will be the seed for creating new jobs and developing new technologies.”

Ahn presented the idea of reforming the current system into a two-year kindergarten, five-year primary and five-year secondary school system. He also suggested creating a two-year vocational training school for secondary school graduates before they enter college.

He also said the country needs to lower the age of starting public education to three to enable students to enter the job market a year earlier.

The country currently has a six-year primary, three-year middle and three-year high school system.

“You might think it is a drastic change, but there will be no future with our current education system,” he said. “Rote learning will not help us survive the new era.

Education needs to teach creative ways of thinking and how to cooperate with others.”

Ahn proposed abolishing the education ministry, claiming it has failed to carry out long-term policies due to vulnerability caused by changes in government.

He instead suggested setting up a national committee tasked with devising a decades-long educational policy and a public body supporting its implementation.

Ahn had the rare opportunity to make the speech as a representative of a parliamentary negotiating bloc. Such an address is normally made by incumbent chairpersons or floor leaders.

The move was viewed as the party’s effort to draw public attention to its potential presidential hopeful who has been an underdog among liberal contenders with low double-digit approval ratings in opinion polls.

Ahn has trailed presidential contenders of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea ― former party leader Moon Jae-in and South Chungcheong Gyeonggi Governor An Hee-jung.

Ahn also renewed his call to conduct a run-off election in the upcoming presidential election, possibly slated for early this year, saying reform tasks can only be pushed for with a majority of public support.

Conscious of criticism that there are no legal grounds for the run-off election, he suggested that the Constitutional Court review its legality after the National Assembly passes a relevant bill.

Touching upon security issues, Ahn stressed the need to nurture military capability. He said he will speed up the deployment of the Kill Chain preemptive strike system, and the Korean Air and Missile Defense (KAMD) plan as part of such effort.

He also vowed to expand naval and air forces while maintaining the strong Korea-U.S. alliance in order to ensure military superiority over North Korea.