Middle schools to begin phased compulsory education next yr.

President Kim Dae-Jung Thursday ordered the expansion of compulsory education to middle school next year. Students are currently only required to attend until the end of elementary school. Kim gave the instruction in a briefing by Prime Minister Lee Han-Dong, Education Minister Lee Don-Hee and Planning-Budget Minister Jeon Yun-Churl at Cheong Wa Dae, presidential spokesman Park Joon-Young said.

The President was quoted as telling the ministers, "Let's translate into action the people's right to receive an education, as stipulated in the constitution, by providing free education until the end of middle school starting next year."

In line with the President's instructions, Education Minister Lee Don-Hee announced a three-year plan to implement the free education system up to and including the three years of middle school. Under the plan, the expanded compulsory education formula will be applied first to students who will enter middle schools next year and completely enforced by 2004.

The compulsory education system in middle school was originally introduced in 1985 under the revised Education Law. However, only 19.5 percent of middle schools on islands and some remote villages benefited from the change, mainly due to the lack of educational budget. The free education system will be implemented on a full scale 16 years after the revision bill went into effect.

"The phased expansion of the compulsory education system will cost 1.4 trillion won annually. The full implementation of the nine-year compulsory education formula has the aim of improving productive welfare," the spokesman said. "Our country will thus put into practice a free education system of nine to 12 years, the level in member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)."

Meanwhile, the government plans to present to the National Assembly revision bills on related laws and regulations to facilitate the implementation of the free education system. The regular assembly session opens in September.