Free daycare, free tuition at regional universities: Education Minister Choi vows stronger state role in education, childcare

Education Minister Choi Kyo-jin said Wednesday that the government needs to strengthen state responsibility for education and childcare so that all citizens can grow up happy without gaps in opportunity. The ministry plans to expand support for students' basic academic skills and mental health, and to have district education offices handle complaints that are difficult for individual schools to resolve.

Speaking at a national audit of the National Assembly's education committee, Choi said education must play an active role in the success of the government's balanced national growth policy. "The importance of nurturing future talent to lead the era of the top three AI powers is also being emphasized," he said.

On student support, Choi said the ministry is focused on identifying the root causes of learning difficulties and expanding individualized instruction. "We will strengthen customized guidance by expanding the deployment of specialist basic-skills teachers and co-instructors," he said, adding that these teachers would work alongside homeroom teachers to assess each student's learning level and provide the necessary support.

For mental health, the ministry will work to identify at-risk students early and connect them with counseling and treatment. "We will strengthen the in-school and out-of-school mental health safety net covering all stages — prevention, identification, counseling and treatment," Choi said. He added that a cross-ministry suicide prevention plan for teenagers would also be carried out without delay.

The ministry will also expand financial support for education and childcare. An annual after-school program voucher worth 500,000 won ($372), currently available to third graders, will be extended to fourth graders next year. Free early childhood education and care, currently covering four- and five-year-olds, will be broadened to include three-year-olds. The ministry also plans to narrow the pay gap between kindergarten and daycare center teachers.

On teacher protection, Choi said institutions, not individual teachers, should be responsible for handling complaints. "We will consolidate a school-level complaint response system," he said, "and will continue working to ensure that education offices can support schools in handling complaints that are difficult to resolve at the school level."

The ministry will also pursue legislative changes to expand teachers' basic political rights. "We will establish classroom standards that harmoniously guarantee students' right to learn and teachers' rights as citizens," Choi said.

On regional education, Choi said the ministry would connect universities and businesses to develop talent needed in local communities, foster specialized fields at flagship national universities, and support companies relocating to and investing in regional areas. Next year, the ministry will begin covering tuition for incoming students at regional national universities and expand regional talent scholarships for students at regional private universities.

AI education will be expanded from elementary, middle and high schools through to universities and adult education. "We will deepen AI education and expand AI-focused schools so that all students from elementary through high school can acquire basic AI literacy," Choi said. "We will also develop a foundational AI curriculum and roll it out across all universities so that any college student can learn AI."

Meanwhile, the national audit of the Ministry of Education on Wednesday was also expected to focus on a fairness controversy surrounding a system outage that disrupted university admissions applications and led to an extended deadline. Other issues on the agenda include the framework for protecting teachers' educational activities, safety measures for field trips, and the operation of the high school credit system now in its second year. The procedural legitimacy and grading fairness of proposed college entrance exam reforms — including the introduction of essay-based questions — as well as long-term national education development plans were also set to come under scrutiny.