Financing for equity in pre-primary education
1. Education resources to subnational governments
2. Education resources to institutions
3. Education resources to students and families
4. Social policies and family support programmes
Introduction
Key financing indicators (UIS Data)
In the Republic of Korea, the official entrance age for pre-primary education is three years old. As of 2023, the net enrolment rate for children aged 3 to 5 reached 95.67% and has remained consistently above 90 percent since at least 2013. (UIS)
Governance
The financing of pre-primary education is governed by the Basic Plan for the Advancement of Early Childhood Education, established under Article 3-2 of the Early Childhood Education Act. The Minister of Education is responsible for formulating this plan every five years, following a review by the Central Early Childhood Education Committee.
Tuition-free status
According to Article 24 of the Early Childhood Education Act, free education is provided for three years immediately before enrollment in elementary school, with costs covered by the central and local governments. While pre-primary education is not part of compulsory education in Korea, the enrolment rate remains high.
1. Education resources to subnational governments
Based on the national framework, the Ministry allocates through Local Education Grant and the Early Childhood Education Support Special Account to metropolitan and provincial offices of education.
The Local Education Grant for early childhood education follow the same funding mechanism as those for basic education, as outlined in the Local Education Finance Fund Act (amended in 2025), with transfers categorised into ordinary and special grants, based on factors such as student numbers, school conditions, and regional characteristics.
In addition to these grants, the Early Childhood Education Support Special Account provides dedicated national funding specifically for pre-primary education. Through this account, the Ministry of Education secures and transfers funds to the special accounts for education expenses of metropolitan and provincial offices of education. These funds are used to cover operating and personnel costs of public kindergartens, tuition subsidies for private kindergarten students, teacher training programs, and broader initiatives to improve the quality of early childhood education services.
2. Education resources to institutions
Public and private institutions receive government subsidies through distinct mechanisms. Public institutions operate under an independent kindergarten accounting system as stipulated in Article 19-7 of the Early Childhood Education Act. Their revenue sources include transfers from the national general budget or the special accounts for education expenses of local governments, tuition and other fees, government subsidies, and other forms of income. These funds cover all operational costs, including staff salaries, facility maintenance, and educational programs.
Private institutions, on the other hand, receive financial support under Article 24 of the Early Childhood Education Act. They may be granted public funding for teacher salaries, educational expenses, and operational or facility costs, depending on local government budgets.
To strengthen financial transparency, both public and private institutions are required to use the national electronic accounting system, so-called K-eduFine, for budget planning, expenditure, and financial reporting. However, there is no formal, nationwide funding formula that allocates additional resources to kindergartens based on equity considerations.
3. Education resources to students and families
Financial support for pre-primary education is provided through a combination of universal and targeted subsidies managed by the Ministry of Education and disbursed through the metropolitan and provincial offices of education to the family.
As part of free education, all children aged 3 to 5 are eligible for basic tuition subsidies (유아학비) for three years, regardless of income. As of 2025, this support amounts to approximately KRW 100,000 per month for public institution students and KRW 280,000 for those attending private institutions. In addition, public kindergarten students receive KRW 50,000 per month to cover fees for extended-day (after-school) programmes, regardless of age, while private kindergarten students aged 4 to 5 receive KRW 50,000 per month and three-year-olds receive KRW 70,000 per month.
In addition to this universal support, children from low-income households, including beneficiaries of the National Basic Livelihood Security Program, near-poor groups, and single-parent families, who are enrolled in private institutions, are eligible for additional financial aid of up to KRW 200,000 per month. This targeted subsidy is intended to reduce household expenses and promote equitable access to early childhood education.
4. Social policies and family support programmes
Public institutions offer lower tuition by default and provide preferential admission opportunities to children from disadvantaged families, such as those from legally recognised low-income households, families of national merit recipients, and North Korean defector families, instead of offering additional cash support.
This profile was reviewed by Myung suck Woo, professor at Korea National University of Education, and by the Permanent Delegation of the Republic of Korea to UNESCO.
