Education minister offers resignation after backlash to policies

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Education minister offers resignation after backlash to policies

Education Minister Park Soon-ae bows her head in apology after announcing her resignation at a press conference at the Korea Educational Facility Safety Institute in Yeouido, southern Seoul on Monday afternoon. [NEWS1]

Education Minister Park Soon-ae bows her head in apology after announcing her resignation at a press conference at the Korea Educational Facility Safety Institute in Yeouido, southern Seoul on Monday afternoon. [NEWS1]

 
Education Minister Park Soon-ae announced her resignation late Monday afternoon, ending a short tenure that will be remembered for her least popular policy proposal, sending kids to school at the age of five.
 
“I accept all responsibility for controversies related for education reforms, which were the result of my shortcomings,” Park said at a brief press conference at the Korea Educational Facility Safety Institute in Yeouido, southern Seoul at 5:30 p.m.
 
Park expressed regret for her policy plans, saying she “wanted to deliver greater educational benefits to the people” but she now does not believe herself up to the task.
 
“I hope for a better future for our country's children,” Park said as she concluded her remarks. She did not respond to questions shouted by reporters as she left the room.
 
Park’s resignation marks the end of a 34-day stint at the helm of the Education Ministry, which became a focal point of public anger after it announced a series of ill-considered reforms.
 
The most criticized was the lowering of the school entry age by one year to five, announced on July 29, which was met with vociferous protests by education-related civic groups outside the presidential office.
 
The ministry argued the plan would reduce education expenses for families and strengthen public education responsibilities.  
 
It said the plan would entail other benefits, such as enabling the government to cover more child care and providing an opportunity for students to graduate earlier and get a head start on finding jobs, especially as Korean society suffers from a low birth rate and an aging population.  
 
The plan was opposed by teachers and parent associations from across the political spectrum, who argued it would pile pressure on schoolchildren in the country’s highly competitive academic system.
 
Park was criticized for announcing the proposal without canvasing public opinion. She said at a press conference on Aug. 1 that she would try to gather public opinion before formulating the policy, but the damage had been done.
 
Her ministry unveiled another plan on July 29 to abolish foreign language high schools that also roiled parents.
 
Foreign language high schools have long been a subject of socio-political debate, especially after the left-leaning Moon Jae-in administration announced that all 30 foreign language high schools would be turned into ordinary high schools by 2025.
 
The Moon administration argued that the schools were worsening the divide between those who can afford higher-end private education and those who cannot, in light of the fact that many students who apply for foreign language high schools usually attend hagwon (private academies) for years to get in.
 
Although President Yoon Suk-yeol pledged to respect the “diversity” of high schools on the campaign trail, Park told reporters that the ministry was reviewing a plan to “abolish” foreign language high schools or “convert” them into ordinary high schools, technically following the Moon administration.
 
Park’s resignation is likely to be accepted by Yoon, who according to domestic media reports made up his mind to fire her during his vacation last week.  
 

BY MICHAEL LEE [lee.junhyuk@joongang.co.kr]
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