ⓒYONHAP News

Hundreds of people from groups representing parents and educators held a protest near the presidential office on Monday against the Yoon Suk Yeol government's push to lower the school starting age from six to five years old.

Dozens of groups, including the Korean Association of Child Studies, urged the government to withdraw the policy, arguing it would infringe upon a child's right to develop at a healthy, age-appropriate pace.

Contending that lowering the age would further widen the gap among students in terms of private learning, the groups also submitted a letter to the top office demanding that they be given a seat when the government deliberates changes to its education policies.

In response to the protests, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo directed education minister Park Soon-ae to listen to opinions from all parties involved in the education system and reflect their concerns in policymaking.

Speaking to reporters, Park said she will prepare a concrete blueprint on lowering the school starting age from six to five years old after building social consensus on the matter. 

She underlined that policies are not perfected when they are first announced, and that the social consensus building process will begin now as the government listens to the opinions of parents and various experts.

Park said the plan to lower the school starting age from 2025 is a possibility and not a finalized policy, and promised to gather diverse views before presenting a detailed plan by the end of the year.

A day later, Park said she believes the policy can be scrapped if that is the public’s wish.

Park made the remark on Tuesday in a gathering of parent groups with regards to the government’s controversial plan to lower the school starting age from six to five years old.

Park’s comment came four days after the government announced that it is considering lowering the school starting age beginning in 2025, drawing backlash from the education and political sectors as well as from parents.

The presidential office also issued a reserved stance on the matter, stressing in a statement released on Tuesday that lowering the school starting age is simply a proposed alternative to the current system, not a policy goal.

Asked if the education ministry can scrap the school age revision plan, senior presidential secretary for social affairs Ahn Sang-hoon said a policy, no matter how effective, cannot go against the public’s wishes.

On Wednesday, Park met with school superintendents of 17 major cities and provinces to collect opinions on the plan to lower the school starting age to five years old.

Coming under fire for the proposal, Park said that the reform plan is only the starting point for a social discussion, and that she will consult with the superintendents and put the issue up for public discussion.

In an earlier statement, Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education Superintendent Cho Hee-yeon urged the ministry to reconsider the plan, adding there was no discussion with his office prior to its announcement.

Vice education minister Jang Sang-yoon met with parents of kindergarteners, who also voiced their opposition to the plan.