Proposal to Keep Younger Primary Pupils in School Until 3 p.m. Sparks Debate Over Care and Fatigue

A proposal to keep South Korea’s youngest primary school pupils in class until 3 p.m. has opened a dispute over who should fill the country’s childcare gap: schools, families or private academies.

The National Education Commission held a policy forum at the National Assembly Library on the third with the National Assembly Futures Institute and the Korean Educational Development Institute. It was the commission’s first public discussion focused on expanding education time for younger primary pupils. Commission chair Cha Jeong-in said the forum would examine the need, expected benefits and concerns in a balanced way while listening to voices from schools.

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We will listen carefully to voices from the field and seek a desirable direction.

Supporters pointed to the short school day for first- and second-graders. Annual classroom time averages 815 hours across OECD countries, compared with 581 hours in South Korea. Hwang In-hyeok of the National Assembly Futures Institute said the short schedule creates childcare gaps that families currently cover through parental leave or private education. He argued that expanding regular school hours could offer a universal alternative.

Private-education participation among first- and second-graders reaches 84% to 86%, according to institute data, and childcare ranks as the main reason. Among first-grade pupils using private education, 42.6% attend arts or sports academies for care and 33.9% attend general-subject academies for that purpose. The share among dual-income households who use general-subject private education for childcare was 46%, more than four times the roughly 11% reported by single-income households.

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The short school hours of younger primary pupils lead to childcare gaps, which families are filling privately through parental leave or private education, so extending regular school hours is necessary as a universal alternative.

Teachers at the forum objected. Park So-young of the Federation of Teachers’ Unions said filling the additional hours meaningfully would require contracts with instructors and preparation of teaching materials, creating a heavy administrative burden. She warned that exhaustion from administration and safety management could lower the quality of public education. Kim Sun of the Korean Federation of Teachers’ Associations said first-graders already struggle by the fifth period and questioned why children who do not need care should be required to attend more regular classes.

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First-graders already find lessons so difficult that by the fifth period they are almost lying down.

Lee Hee-hyun of the Korean Educational Development Institute proposed a phased approach: increase annual hours first to 657, the level for third- and fourth-graders, then to 725, the level for fifth- and sixth-graders. He said the added time should focus not on advancing through Korean and mathematics curricula, but on arts, sports, play and developmental experiences. He also called for teams involving dedicated and support teachers.

Parent groups backed the proposal, provided that schools receive enough staff and funding. The National Parents’ Association for True Education called a 3 p.m. dismissal policy essential to the public responsibility of the state and schools. Politics Moms said safe time at school, opportunities to rest and play, and reducing differences between schools should be addressed jointly by the education community, with the state responsible for resolving the gaps.

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The additional hours should be filled with growth experiences centered on arts, sports and play, not progress through subjects such as Korean and mathematics.