GOV'T TO INTRODUCE NEW PRESCHOOL EDUCATION FROM 2012.

SEOUL, South Korea -- The following information was released by the office of the South Korea President:

The Korean government announced on May 2 that it will provide support for all five-year-old children who go to childcare centers or kindergarten from next year.

The government will also set up and provide the same education and childcare program for all childcare centers and kindergartens in the country.

This means a de-facto expansion of the mandatory education period to ten years. The current mandatory education period is composed of nine years -- six years of primary school and three years in middle school.

Prime Minister Kim Hwang-sik announced the new preschool education plan for five-year-olds at the Central Government Complex in Seoul.

Earlier in the day, President Lee Myung-bak said in his radio and Internet address that the Korean government will continue to make efforts to upgrade the quality of childcare and education services for the country.

Under the new plan, from next year, all houses with five-year-old children who go to private kindergarten or childcare centers will receive 200,000 won every month from the government for education and childcare expenses.

The government plans to raise the support level to 300,000 won by 2016.

Houses with five-year-olds who go to public kindergartens will receive the current support of 59,000 won per month, since the government already fully covers those education expenses. However, children who go to private English or international kindergartens are not eligible.

The government predicts that increased preschool education support will raise the number of children attending, creating mandatory preschool education. The new government-determined educational courses will be introduced in March of next year, and focus on boosting the connectivity of the contents of primary school education for infants to five-year-olds.

By Yoon Sojung

Korea.net Staff Writer