The question is how to fund the convergence

The Ministry of Education will be singularly responsible for early childhood education and childcare through the recent integration of the two categories. Under the Early Childhood Education Act, kindergartens fell under the supervision of the Education Ministry and daycare centers under the Ministry of Health and Welfare. This changed through the amendment of the Government Organization Act.

The details will be fine-tuned within the year so that the integration becomes formal from 2026. Among the details are stretching the basic hours of kindergartens and daycare centers to eight hours plus four additional hours so that infants and preschoolers can get 12 hours of care per day. The move is in line with the latest measures announced by the Presidential Committee on Aging Society and Population Policy. The caregivers and teachers per child also will be increased.

Few would oppose the merger aimed at providing better and efficient childcare and early education, but the details demand massive funding. It is why the integration had been attempted, but was put off by past governments since 1992. Teachers’ unions, parents’ associations and daycare centers rallied against the merger plan last November. But whether the government fully heard out differing voices is unclear, not to mention where the required budget — at least 2 trillion won ($1.45 billion) — for the merger can come from.

The excess reserves from education subsidies can go to the funding, but that move will most likely stoke a strong protest from education associations. The Ministry of Economy and Finance issued a press release denying a news report that the education tax surplus could be appropriated to finance the merger.

The government has yet to clearly explain how to fund the convergence of early childhood education and childcare. The Korean Federation of Teachers’ Associations issued a statement calling for a specific fiscal outlay. Opposition Democratic Party Rep. Bak Seung-a insisted that the merger be financed through a new fiscal budget, not the leftover subsidies. The integration scheme could be deadlocked if financing means cannot be agreed upon between the governing and opposition parties.

There are many other issues that must be clarified, including whether or not to allow daycare teachers to subscribe to the Korea Teachers’ Pension. Pension can be a sticky issue at a time when the premium for the National Pension is being proposed to be upped to 13 percent from the current 9 percent. Integration in early childhood education is necessary. Given its poor communicative skills in the past, whether the government can really steer the plan smoothly raises doubt. We hope the government does not resort to an expedient populist approach that can lead to a fiscal disaster later on.