Private Kindergarten Teachers' Poor Working Conditions Blamed on Voucher System

A recent forum organized by 'Save the Children from Education Worries' (Sacyon) has shed light on the systemic issues contributing to the poor working environment faced by teachers in private kindergartens across South Korea. The discussion, focused on 'Early Childhood Teacher Working Environment and Free Education,' pinpointed the government's voucher support system as a primary cause of these detrimental conditions. This system, which allocates funds per student to private institutions, differs significantly from the direct financial support provided to public kindergartens, creating a disparity that impacts educators.

Song Dae-heon, an advisor for the National Parents' Association for True Education, argued that the core problem lies in the lack of clear distinction within the voucher funds between teacher salaries and operational expenses. This ambiguity grants private kindergarten operators the discretion to divide the funds as they see fit. Consequently, there is a tendency to minimize expenditure on teacher salaries while reallocating funds to other operational costs. This practice often results in teachers being paid at or near minimum wage, a stark contrast to the professional standards expected in early childhood education.

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The voucher support fund includes teacher salaries and operational costs. However, the amount for salaries and the amount for operational costs are not distinguished within the support fund. Therefore, the operator arbitrarily divides the salary and operational costs. As a result, salary expenses are naturally reduced, and the support funds are used elsewhere.

The repercussions of this funding structure are evident in employment practices. Song highlighted that private kindergartens frequently resort to paying minimum wage, violating teacher remuneration regulations, hiring teachers with limited experience, and employing fewer staff members overall. Data indicates a significant difference in the proportion of teachers with less than five years of experience: while public kindergartens have fewer than 30% in this category, private kindergartens have a staggering 51%. This disparity is attributed to the ease with which private institutions can dismiss experienced teachers, preferring to hire less costly, less experienced personnel. The forum concluded that addressing these issues is crucial to prevent further tragedies and ensure a better working environment for early childhood educators.

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Public kindergartens have less than 30% of teachers with less than 5 years of experience, but private kindergartens have 51%. This is because private kindergartens can easily dismiss experienced teachers.