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By You Soo-sun
The government is considering a plan to increase elementary school hours to tackle the country's declining birth rate. But education officials are fiercely resisting the move.
According to Yonhap News Agency Friday, the presidential committee on the low birth rate and aging society is considering the plan to support dual-income earners with childcare.
"In order to solve the low-birth issue, we need to think differently," a committee member told Yonhap. "We are considering to first address the gap in the provision of care for children enrolled in elementary school."
Whereas most childcare centers and preschools provide care until after 6 p.m., elementary schools mostly end around 2 p.m., leaving children by themselves until parents get off work.
This is often cited as a reason for women leaving the workforce or sending their children to private academies while they are at work.
According to a Statistics Korea report, about 20 percent of 9.05 million married women between 15 and 54 said they quit their jobs to give birth or to take care of their children or families.
Most, or 51.2 percent, were aged 30 to 39, when women are most likely to have children in elementary school.
Compared with most other OECD countries, class hours at Korean elementary schools are relatively short.
In Korea, first and second graders spend on average 2.93 hours in class a day; the number rises to 3.47 for third and fourth graders and 3.87 for fifth and sixth graders.
In the U.S., France and England, students spend an average of 4.9, 4.8 and 4.67 hours in class respectively.
However, education officials are opposed to the plan, arguing this will increase the burden on students and teachers.
