Promotion of name change to “Infant School”, reexamining the location and history of kindergartens
A coalition to promote the name change of infant schools has been launched.
The goal is to change the names of kindergartens to infant schools. The coalition includes the National Teachers and
Education Workers Union, the National Public Kindergarten Teachers Union, and the Korea Public Kindergarten Teachers Association.
The Solidarity pointed out that although a kindergarten refers to a school established and operated in accordance with this law for the education of young children, unlike elementary, middle, and high schools,
because it does not have “school” attached to its name, it cannot be distinguished from a private academy and is sometimes used as an English kindergarten, puppy kindergarten, or senior kindergarten, etc.
He said that it had not established itself as a public education institution that was indistinguishable from the concept of child care for infants.
‘유치원’은 日 잔재 명칭… ‘유아학교’로 변경해야 할까?
‘유치원’은 日 잔재 명칭… ‘유아학교’로 변경해야 할까?
edu.chosun.com
Change of name to “Infant School”: Importance and direction
In addition, he argued that kindergarten is a word with a painful history that limited the target of education during the Japanese colonial period to Japanese children, and that although the name of the elementary school was changed to elementary school in 1995 for the same reason, kindergarten is still called by its name during the Japanese colonial period.
Solidarity said that the Ministry of Education announced a plan to strengthen the publicness of kindergartens in October 2018, presented a policy roadmap and strengthened the publicness of private kindergartens, and reaffirmed that kindergartens are schools and public educational institutions.
In October 2020, National Assembly member Kang Deuk-gu changed the name to an infant school. A bill to amend the Early Childhood Education Act was proposed to change it, but it was said to be pending in the National Assembly.
The coalition emphasized that changing the name from kindergarten to infant school is significant in terms of establishing the status of the kindergarten as a school, changing the perception of the kindergarten as an educational institution, strengthening the public nature of education, and clearing away the remnants of the public education file system.
We plan to jointly conduct petitions, teacher signature campaigns, press conferences, and meet with members of the National Assembly, and send a message to members of the National Assembly urging them to pass the bill to change the name of infant schools that is currently pending in the National Assembly.
Because information about this will vary depending on a person's values, beliefs, and experiences, I will discuss responses that can be made from a variety of perspectives.
Positive reaction to change: People who recognize the importance of early childhood education may perceive this name change positively. You may feel that the name 'Children's School' better reflects the quality and importance of early childhood education than the name 'Kindergarten'.
Negative reaction to change: On the other hand, some people may feel that this change is unnecessary. They may think that the already familiar name 'Kindergarten' is doing its job well.
Anxiety: These changes can also make you feel uncertain. There may be uncertainty about how the name change will affect the structure or content of kindergarten education and how this will affect children's learning experiences.
Indifference: Some people may be indifferent to these changes. They may think that the quality and content of the education itself, whether 'kindergarten' or 'infant school', are more important than the name.
As such, the emotional impact of this news on Koreans is diverse and may be interpreted differently by each individual. This is not simply a matter of changing the name, but a complex combination of factors such as social values, perceptions of education, and personal experiences.