Government Cuts National Treasury Support for Rural Education Expenses

The government has significantly reduced education subsidies for farmers' children, leaving local governments struggling to secure tuition funds.
According to Gyeonggi Province on the 8th, the government launched the "National Treasury Education Fund Support Project for Farmers' Children" in 1990, fully funding tuition and entrance fees for high school students in rural areas through national funds, recognizing that rural regions face relatively poor educational conditions compared to urban areas.

However, starting in 1992, the government drastically reduced the support scale to 30%, with the remainder split evenly between the province and relevant cities and counties at 35% each. From 2005 onwards, the national funding ratio was further lowered to 10-18%.

As a result, this year's education expenses for 100,800 high school students in rural areas of the province total 14.37 billion won, but national treasury support amounts to only 1.4 billion won. The province must cover 4.3 billion won (30%), while relevant cities and counties bear 8.58 billion won (60%).

In particular, Yeoju County, with a fiscal self-reliance rate below 20%, must cover 684 million won out of 1.14 billion won, while Yangpyeong County must cover 516 million won out of 860 million won. Yeoncheon and Gapyeong counties also each face a burden of approximately 270 million won.

A Gyeonggi Province official stated, "As the government transferred projects previously funded through national treasury to local authorities, support ratios were significantly reduced, causing difficulties for local governments with poor fiscal self-reliance rates in securing budgets," and added, "The education fund support project should be converted to full national subsidy or at least allocated uniformly at 30% or higher."