Korea to expand education, after-school care programs to support working parents

First grade students and their guardians peek into a classroom in Mapo District, western Seoul, on Jan. 4. [NEWS1]

The Korean government will diversify education programs and expand after-school care programs for elementary school students to support the country's working parents, according to the Ministry of Education.

The hours of after-school care programs will be extended from the current 7 p.m. to 8 p.m., and the program will also run in the morning between 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. depending on the demand and the school’s situation.

The plan is aimed at reducing the burden of child care, especially for working parents, and minimizing the educational gap between students of different backgrounds.

Classes related to artificial intelligence (AI) and coding will be conducted for those in the lower years during these programs.

Currently, after-school child care programs and after-school extracurricular programs are operated separately from schools, but the new plan will merge the two.

“President Yoon Suk Yeol and the government are willing to implement it and prioritize this policy even though it would require a high cost,” said Education Minister Lee Ju-ho during a press briefing on Monday.

“We will offer education and after-school child care services for all elementary school students that are in need of them by 2025 after a successful launch [this year].”

The program will be implemented in around 200 schools this year and will gradually be expanded to include all schools nationwide by 2025.

A special care program for first grade students only will also be implemented to minimize working parents’ difficulties in taking care of their children and adjusting to the new schedule, as schools finish earlier than kindergartens.

Most after-school child care programs will be complimentary, but parents will still need to pay for their child’s snacks and meals.

BY CHO JUNG-WOO, LEE GA-RAM [cho.jungwoo1@joongang.co.kr]