There was a lot of controversy over the reorganization of the school system, which aims to
have students enter elementary schools at the age of 5 (7 years Korean age), not at the current age of 6 (8 years Korean age). After the Education Act in 1949, which established the school age of 6 years old, the previous government also steadily attempted to discuss the age of elementary school entrance. However, it has often been refused due to a lack of evidence, and the current president Yoon Seok-Yeol government has also mentioned this reorganization of the school system.
Let's take a closer look at this. President Yoon ordered former Education Minister Park Soon-ae to devise a plan to maintain the 12th-grade system but to advance the age of elementary school by 1 year. And on July 29th, 2022, Yoon Seok-Yeol reported the new government's plan to Yoon Suk Yeol.

This was a plan to lower the starting age of elementary school to 5 years old. For 4 years from 2025 to 2028, it will be conducted by mixing 5 and 6-year-olds together, and from 2029, the first grade will consist only of 5-year-old children. It is planned to be implemented sequentially over four
years, including those born in 2018 and those born in March 2019, and those born in April 2019 to June 2020 in 2026. Let's take a look at why the government is pushing for the ‘5-year-old admission’ and its pros and cons. Why did the Ministry of Education insist on reforming the school system? (According to the contents of the 'New Government's Education Report') First, education must reduce the education gap by advancing the school age and allowing the socially disadvantaged to receive public education as soon as possible.

That is, it aims to provide high-quality education ‘at the right time’, ‘equivalent’. (So that all children can grow from the starting line stage without gaps, by expanding the area of responsibility of the nation.) In particular, it is argued that the nation should expand its field of responsibility to the infant stage (0-5 years old who have a high value of educational support) and strengthen the state's active intervention to prevent initial learning deficits from accumulating.
 

Second, it is to have children enter society as soon as possible to solve the problem of low birth rates. To enter society a year early, they need to be educated a year early, but unlike in the past, these days, because of improving the academic level of kindergarten students, 5-year-olds can start elementary school education and follow the level of education. It is predicted that the larger the number of students entering society, the greater the economic effect will be. What is the reason for opposing this? However, concerns and opposition from all walks of life, including daycare centers, kindergartens, teachers, and parents are severe. Let's take a closer look at the reasons for their opposition.

First, there is no consideration for the process of infant development. (A 5-year-old child is said to have a large difference between the months of life.) There is a large gap between a 5-year-old child and a 6-year-old child; because children grow up faster. In this situation, if children enter school at an early age, they may not develop a good understanding of what is said in class. In the end, private education is likely to be essential to enable the current first-year students to complete the curriculum which requires them to read Korean.

Second, there is a care gap due to the current low level of acceptance of elementary care classes. After the regular class, the child goes home at 12 or 1 o'clock, and the time to go home from school is four hours earlier than when they were in kindergarten. So there is a care gap for dual- income families. In a survey conducted by the Ministry of Education last year, 73.34% of parents of freshmen in elementary schools said they needed care services, but the care classes in elementary schools are still far short. Even now, 20,000 people are currently waiting, the number of classrooms is insufficient, and even if classrooms are prepared, there are problems with the management of
teacher manpower.

What’s the opinion of an expert?

Who : a professor from the Primary Education department
What : school reform
Q-1) I'd like to ask you about the need for school reform. Is it necessary to reform the school system? If necessary, when would the timing of the reforming school system be appropriate?
A-1) Because the school system is not a product that changes after some time, and there is no scientific basis for opinions such as "We need the reform due to the long duration" and "We need the reform because there is a similar foreign academic systems," So it can be seen that scientific grounds considering the developmental characteristics of children are needed for the school system reform.
The fact that there are certain periods of elementary school age (7,8 to 13 years old) commonly claimed by many prominent psychologists shows that aspects of the development of these periods are somewhat persuasive, and the current school system has been operated based on these bases.
In order to reform the school system, scientific research results are needed to prove that children's learning level has improved compared to the past and that the speed of development has accelerated.
Q-2) It is said that this school reform plan was not the first to be raised. The previous administration has mentioned school reform, but what do you think is the main reason for the continuing opposition?
A-2) This is because there are no clear justifications or grounds to support the reorganization of the school system. Politicians are trying to change policies that can easily show the change (school system, CSAT, entrance examination system, etc.). However, since education requires long-planned changes, scientific evidence is needed to support it. And I think the lack of such evidence at the moment continues to lead to people's concerns and objections. To receive empathy, a more recognizable basis is needed, and social consensus is also needed. In addition, the role of schools should be discussed before discussing reforming the school system. Attracting young students into the public education system will strengthen the school's caring function. So, it will be necessary to reach a social consensus on what the school's role is in essence, then the school can be reformed as the next step.

Q-3) Some people think children are growing faster than in the past, with the rapid development of media and technology, and there are opinions that there is little difference between the age of 6 in the past and the age of 5 in the present. Then, why do you think 6 is the most desirable age for admission in this era?
A-3) It is absurd to say that there is little difference in the level of education acquisition between the past 6 years and the present 5 years old due to the development of media and technology. Just the present children’s media processing ability improved, but it is questionable whether children’s learning levels also improved. In other words, just the living environment of the past and the present has changed, so it is difficult to say that the level of learning has changed in this changed living environment. ( Children still struggle with math. )
Q-4) What are the supplementary measures in the current school system reform plan? There is a 5-3-4 school system reform plan that shortens elementary schools by one year and increases high schools by one year, and a 5-5-5 school reform plan that increases middle schools to five years and increases high schools by two years of career exploration or vocational schools according to career path. What do you think is a desirable reorganization plan?
A-4) Supplementary measures to the current school system require social consensus. Reducing or increasing the term of the school year is only a matter of learning timing, so it is more important to focus on the ultimate goal of what abilities to develop for students. Therefore, before discussing the reforming of the school system, I think it would be alright to break down the perspective of the school system. Rather than rigidly classifying grades according to their age like cutting a radish,
a flexible and free grade operating system, a non-grade system can be one method. In other words, although it is essential to classify grades in courses that require hierarchies or steps, in other areas, it may be good to combine students from different grades and present them with tasks suitable for each level according to achievement standards, resulting in spiral-structured learning.
I think, to truly leap into the ranks of the advanced country in education, we need to separate education from politics, and think about what changes are needed in terms of education itself. In the end, the total amount and quality of what a child learns in school are important. When and what grade a child learns is of secondary importance.

Conclusion ...
As stated in the introduction, the school reform plan was not the first to be raised this time. However, at the time, the Ministry of Education expressed skepticism, saying, "The budget is high and the utility is low." This time, many objections from the education community and the public were poured out on the policy proposed by the Ministry of Education. However, there are not only many criticisms of the school reform plan itself, but also criticisms for lack of broad and sufficient opinions and social consensus from officials and parents in the process of announcing the school reform plan. In response to the criticism, the Ministry of Education said that the reformation plan will not be implemented immediately, but will be finalized after social discussion (public debate, public hearing, expert opinion collection, consultation and coordination among related agencies).
Since the school system reform issue is a countermeasure for the next 100 years, intense debate is needed, and it is hoped that wise education policies and social consensus will be harmonized to move toward a desirable direction of education.