By Chung Ah-young
Local educational offices have slashed or failed to allocate budgets for next year's free childcare and preschool programs, prompting concern among parents.
Heads of the offices cite the fact that the programs were a policy pledge made by President Park Geun-hye when she was campaigning for the presidency and so the central government should cover the costs.
Some 4.02 trillion won ― 2.13 trillion won for daycare centers and 1.89 trillion won for kindergartens ― is required next year to support some 1.3 million children aged three to five who are entitled to the programs.
Among 17 cities and provinces nationwide, educational offices of Seoul, Gwangju and South Jeolla Province have not allocated any money for the programs at all.
This means that about 293,000 preschoolers in the regions may not receive such support if the offices continue not to cover the costs. Gyeonggi provincial office is also expected not to fund programs within its boundaries.
Two offices approved the budget for the programs but only for two months at daycare centers, while others decided to provide a budget for only six to nine months for daycare centers and kindergartens.
In 2013, the government adopted the Nuri Curriculum for preschoolers aged three to five. Children at both daycare centers and kindergartens benefit from the scheme, although centers are under the authority of the Ministry of Health and Welfare and kindergartens are supervised by the Ministry of Education.
Citing this, the local education offices claim no responsibility for financing the daycare centers. But the government had a related regulation revised to force the offices to support the budget needed for both daycare centers and kindergartens.
To urge the central government to cover the costs, superintendents from the educational offices nationwide requested a meeting with President Park.
"The President should make it clear on this issue," Jang Hui-guk, superintendent of Gwangju Metropolitan Office of Education, said in a press briefing in Seoul, Wednesday. "We think there is no other way if the President refuses to support the programs. This is our last resort," he said.
However, Vice Education Minister Lee Young strongly denounced their actions, saying that it will not be tolerated if the educational offices pass the buck back to the central government.
"The educational offices have a legal responsibility to set aside money for the Nuri programs. Nonetheless, they are refusing to do so, blaming the central government for the chaos," Lee said.
He added said that if the offices do not provide the money, the ministry will take legal action.
Parents have vented their anger over the situation, repeated annually, in which the central government and the educational offices pass the buck to each other.
Last year, after wrangling over the budget, the central government provided 504.6 billion won in reserve funds for the program for daycare centers while the local educational offices issued municipal bonds valued at 1 trillion won to make up for the budget shortage.
However, the local offices said that they will not issue any more bonds.
 |
| Vice Education Minister Lee Young |
Heads of the offices cite the fact that the programs were a policy pledge made by President Park Geun-hye when she was campaigning for the presidency and so the central government should cover the costs.
Some 4.02 trillion won ― 2.13 trillion won for daycare centers and 1.89 trillion won for kindergartens ― is required next year to support some 1.3 million children aged three to five who are entitled to the programs.
Among 17 cities and provinces nationwide, educational offices of Seoul, Gwangju and South Jeolla Province have not allocated any money for the programs at all.
This means that about 293,000 preschoolers in the regions may not receive such support if the offices continue not to cover the costs. Gyeonggi provincial office is also expected not to fund programs within its boundaries.
Two offices approved the budget for the programs but only for two months at daycare centers, while others decided to provide a budget for only six to nine months for daycare centers and kindergartens.
In 2013, the government adopted the Nuri Curriculum for preschoolers aged three to five. Children at both daycare centers and kindergartens benefit from the scheme, although centers are under the authority of the Ministry of Health and Welfare and kindergartens are supervised by the Ministry of Education.
Citing this, the local education offices claim no responsibility for financing the daycare centers. But the government had a related regulation revised to force the offices to support the budget needed for both daycare centers and kindergartens.
To urge the central government to cover the costs, superintendents from the educational offices nationwide requested a meeting with President Park.
"The President should make it clear on this issue," Jang Hui-guk, superintendent of Gwangju Metropolitan Office of Education, said in a press briefing in Seoul, Wednesday. "We think there is no other way if the President refuses to support the programs. This is our last resort," he said.
However, Vice Education Minister Lee Young strongly denounced their actions, saying that it will not be tolerated if the educational offices pass the buck back to the central government.
"The educational offices have a legal responsibility to set aside money for the Nuri programs. Nonetheless, they are refusing to do so, blaming the central government for the chaos," Lee said.
He added said that if the offices do not provide the money, the ministry will take legal action.
Parents have vented their anger over the situation, repeated annually, in which the central government and the educational offices pass the buck to each other.
Last year, after wrangling over the budget, the central government provided 504.6 billion won in reserve funds for the program for daycare centers while the local educational offices issued municipal bonds valued at 1 trillion won to make up for the budget shortage.
However, the local offices said that they will not issue any more bonds.
![[INTERVIEW] K-pop fan turned songwriter shares how she gave birth to ITZY, NMIXX's hits](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/2da264a919ff4284975526ae462374b1.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
