Government Mulls Reducing State Funds for High School Free Education Starting 2027

The government is considering a plan to gradually reduce and eventually end national funding for high school free education through its 2027 budget guidelines. This consideration by the government is a decision that could impact the future burden of high school education costs.

Currently, an annual budget of approximately 2 trillion won is allocated for high school free education, with the central government covering about 1 trillion won and the remainder shared by provincial/metropolitan education offices and local governments. High school free education was gradually introduced, starting with third-year high school students in 2019, and was fully implemented in 2021.

The government's reduction in national funding will lead to the burden on provincial/metropolitan education offices to cover the resulting fiscal deficit independently. Education budgets have a high proportion of fixed expenditures such as teacher salaries, making it difficult to secure additional funds. Consequently, budgetary adjustments within the existing framework are inevitable, raising the possibility that budgets for other educational areas, such as improvements to the educational environment or student support programs, may be reduced.

Park Nam-ki, a professor emeritus at Gwangju National University of Education, pointed out, "When national funding for a large-scale project like high school free education decreases, education offices must cover it within their existing budgets." He added, "With a high proportion of personnel costs, the room for adjustment is limited, making it likely that projects directly linked to educational quality will be affected first."