Gov't to reveal names of corrupt kindergartens

Education Minister Yoo Eun-hae speaks during a meeting with vice superintendents of education at the government complex in Sejong, Thursday. / Yonhap

By Kim Jae-heun

The government said, Thursday, it has decided to reveal the list of private kindergartens found to have committed irregularities through its inspection.

However, directors of nursery schools will not be identified, it added.

The decision came after a ruling party lawmaker brought to light a large number of accounting fraud incidents at some privately run kindergartens last week.

“We apologize for the failure to prevent corruption at private kindergartens,” Education Minister Yoo Eun-hae said during a meeting with metropolitan and provincial vice superintendents of education in Sejong City.

“We cannot overlook the fact that nearly 90 percent of local private kindergartens have been indicated with corrective action during the audits in the last five years. We have to establish countermeasures to strengthen transparent management at the institutes and eradicate irregularities starting from now.”

To this end, the education ministry will conduct a general inspection of private kindergartens that were suspected of corruption and failed to follow corrective measures ordered by the local education offices between 2013 and 2017.

The ministry will publish the list of corrupt kindergartens on the websites of local education offices by next Thursday.

The ministry added it will also share the result of future inspections with school parents.

Six education offices in Busan, Ulsan, Sejong, North Chungcheong Province, South Jeolla Province and South Gyeongsang Province have revealed the names of kindergartens that have committed irregularities, and their audit results. However, the other 11 education offices have not named any of the kindergartens yet.

The ministry said the local education offices will establish kindergarten corruption centers in their cities and provinces starting Friday while operating its own task force to strengthen its general consulting bureau for further possible corruptions.

Kindergartens planning to close temporarily or permanently will be punished harshly.

All kindergartens have to receive approval from the local education office to close down by the education act and they cannot shut down in the middle of the semester.

Those failing to obey the law can face up to three years of imprisonment or a 30 million won fine.

“We will act sternly against the private kindergartens' corruption. Also, there are kindergartens that wish to close down now but it is an act of abusing school parents' unfavorable circumstances. The government will not let any of the institutes drive school parents to the corner taking their children as hostages,” Yoo said.

The ministry's further plans on implementing a public audit system on private kindergartens will be announced after the additional consultation with local education offices and the National Assembly next week.