During a press briefing at the Government Sejong Center on June 25, Park addressed claims that the government intends to cut education grants, asserting that such assertions are unfounded.
His comments come amid ongoing demands from the Education Superintendent Council and associations of school principals and vice-principals to halt the proposed grant reform. Park emphasized, "I have never said we would reduce grants," adding, "We have a principle that neither the total grant amount nor the per-student grant will be lower than this year’s figures."
Nonetheless, he acknowledged the necessity for reforming the grant system. Park noted, "The school-age population has sharply declined, yet the grants have continued to increase. It is time to comprehensively review this rigid structure that does not adequately consider inflation rates, economic growth, and changes in student numbers."
He further explained, "We must carefully consider each child while also accounting for rising costs of living, labor, and the demand for artificial intelligence (AI) education. We have reached a stage where we cannot overlook balanced investment across all areas of education, including primary, secondary, higher, lifelong, and early childhood education."
The Planning and Budget Office is currently discussing various scenarios for the grant reform with the Ministry of Education and the Presidential Office. Park mentioned, "While I cannot disclose specific details, we are reviewing a range of scenarios. It is crucial to unify the government’s stance, and we will also need to seek approval from the National Assembly and consensus from the education sector."
The mid-July financial strategy meeting is being considered as a potential timeframe for discussing the reform proposals. Park indicated that, "There are many schedules in early July, and the financial strategy meeting may be postponed to mid-July. During this process, we will discuss investment directions for expenditure restructuring and enhancing potential growth rates, which may include related topics."
He also expressed the intention to reinvest any adjusted funds back into the education sector. Park stated, "Any secured or saved resources will be reinvested in education to contribute to balance and development, and we must ensure that we achieve results in some form."
Regarding next year’s budget, Park refrained from providing specific details, noting, "As the budget preparation process is underway, I will have separate opportunities to communicate about expenditure levels, key investment strategies, and the financial situation."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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