This paper analyzes the financial structure of the Nuri system with a focus on the agency itself, its subjects, and its unit costs, ultimately showing the meaningfulness of the Nuri system as a type of early childhood public education system. The Nuri...
This paper analyzes the financial structure of the Nuri system with a focus on the agency itself, its subjects, and its unit costs, ultimately showing the meaningfulness of the Nuri system as a type of early childhood public education system. The Nuri system satisfies the basic requirements to be recognized as free public education as it subsidizes all 3- to 5-year-old children, regardless of the parents’ SES, through the local educational finance subsidy. Several suggestions are made for the Nuri system to be recognized by ISCED 2011. First, it must be clarified which part of tuition the financial support (200,000 KRW) covers. Second, standard educational fees for half-day programs need to be recalculated. Third, certificates for the Nuri system teachers need to reach the level of elementary school teachers, and their salaries should be commensurate with this level. Finally, plans for maintaining transparency in the private sector’s financial system should be made.