Free Early Childhood Education to Expand to 3-Year-Olds Next Year… Full Scholarships for Regional National Universities Under Review

Starting next year, 3-year-olds will also receive free childcare and education at daycare centers or kindergartens.

This comes as the target group for free childcare and education is being moved forward by a year, from 4- and 5-year-olds to 3- to 5-year-olds, in line with the government's national agenda.

In addition, national scholarships for students at regional national universities are expected to increase significantly starting next year.

The Ministry of Education reported its "Second-Half 2026 Work Plan," centered on these measures, to President Lee Jae-myung.

First, the Ministry of Education has set a goal to expand free childcare and education support to 3- to 5-year-olds in 2027, raising the public childcare utilization rate from 45.8% last year to 55% by 2030.

Furthermore, the after-school program vouchers (worth 500,000 won annually) provided to third-graders starting this year will also be given to fourth-graders next year.


Additionally, the Ministry of Education is reviewing a plan to provide full scholarships to students entering 30 regional national universities across the country as early as next year.

The additional financial resources required for "tuition-free regional national universities" are estimated at around 200 billion won annually.

(Photo provided by Ministry of Education, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.