The childcare crisis that people had been concerned about is becoming reality particularly at kindergartens, but President Park Geun-hye continues to remain laid back on this issue. On Wednesday, when receiving reports from four ministries--education, welfare, labor and gender--she mentioned the state providing full childcare and said, "These specific fruits of a customized welfare policy are something that no other government in the past had been able to achieve." As the president, who oversees state affairs, her words were irresponsible, ignoring the complaints and cries at the childcare sites.
Right now childcare and education sites nationwide are in a state of emergency. Parents are concerned that they may have to shoulder several hundred thousand won a month now that government grants have been cut, and kindergarten teachers are worried they may not be paid their wages on time. Just yesterday, the superintendents of education of metropolitan and provincial areas gathered and released a resolution demanding the government for a fundamental solution. The association of private kindergartens in Seoul visited the city council and discussed the childcare budget. Kindergartens are considering raising their tuition considerably, and more and more children are not coming to kindergarten due to concerns of a financial burden. The roots of free childcare are thus shaking, yet it is appalling how the president can be so ignorant as to praise herself for the state's achievements in providing full childcare. The president's abnormal perception and judgment on state affairs has led to distrust in state administration and to more worries for it appears to warn us that the situation concerning free childcare will worsen rather than be resolved.
What the president needs to do immediately is not to promote a failed policy, but to seek various policies and administrative means to relieve the people's anxiety. After all, the direct responsibility of the latest crisis lies with the president. The Saenuri Party had pledged to provide free childcare during the presidential election, and President Park had publicly announced on several occasions the central government's responsibility to provide free childcare. Nevertheless, as soon as the elections were over, she started arguing that the local offices of education should shoulder the burden, triggering the childcare crisis. Local offices of education ended up with more than 10 trillion won in debt due to the costs of free childcare. It is no wonder that they refused to allocate the budget for free childcare claiming they could no longer continue and called for the government to fulfill its promise.
President Park had stressed resolving the low birth rate situation, expanding women's social participation, and facilitating the coexistence of work and home as key state tasks. But we find ourselves asking how she is to achieve such goals when she can't even resolve a single childcare issue. We urge the president and the government to be responsible and untie the knot that they tied.
Right now childcare and education sites nationwide are in a state of emergency. Parents are concerned that they may have to shoulder several hundred thousand won a month now that government grants have been cut, and kindergarten teachers are worried they may not be paid their wages on time. Just yesterday, the superintendents of education of metropolitan and provincial areas gathered and released a resolution demanding the government for a fundamental solution. The association of private kindergartens in Seoul visited the city council and discussed the childcare budget. Kindergartens are considering raising their tuition considerably, and more and more children are not coming to kindergarten due to concerns of a financial burden. The roots of free childcare are thus shaking, yet it is appalling how the president can be so ignorant as to praise herself for the state's achievements in providing full childcare. The president's abnormal perception and judgment on state affairs has led to distrust in state administration and to more worries for it appears to warn us that the situation concerning free childcare will worsen rather than be resolved.
What the president needs to do immediately is not to promote a failed policy, but to seek various policies and administrative means to relieve the people's anxiety. After all, the direct responsibility of the latest crisis lies with the president. The Saenuri Party had pledged to provide free childcare during the presidential election, and President Park had publicly announced on several occasions the central government's responsibility to provide free childcare. Nevertheless, as soon as the elections were over, she started arguing that the local offices of education should shoulder the burden, triggering the childcare crisis. Local offices of education ended up with more than 10 trillion won in debt due to the costs of free childcare. It is no wonder that they refused to allocate the budget for free childcare claiming they could no longer continue and called for the government to fulfill its promise.
President Park had stressed resolving the low birth rate situation, expanding women's social participation, and facilitating the coexistence of work and home as key state tasks. But we find ourselves asking how she is to achieve such goals when she can't even resolve a single childcare issue. We urge the president and the government to be responsible and untie the knot that they tied.
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