The DPRK has school-supporting months. Though it sounds unfamiliar to many in the world, the period affords a glimpse into the concern and understanding about education among the general public of the country.
Greatest importance given to education
The DPRK has designated every March and October as the months when public support is given to educational institutions. It is said that each organ, enterprise and unit gives support to one or two educational institutions. The supporter organizations render wholehearted support to the educational institutions in their charge, always paying close attention to improving their educational conditions and environment.
With the two months as an occasion all citizens realize once again the importance of education and their responsibility for the education of the rising generation including their children. In other words, the period reminds them of their sense of parenthood.
In late July last year when the northwestern areas of the country fell victim to floods General Secretary Kim Jong Un of the Workers’ Party of Korea took special measures to bring all the students in the afflicted areas to Pyongyang to give education, stressing that the educational work is the primary state affair that can never be given up even if the sky may fall in. He visited the classrooms temporarily arranged for the students from the afflicted areas to inquire into the new-term teaching preparations and went over their new school uniforms and things. Such parental care shown by the leader awakened the locals once again to the importance of educational work.
To build a state with the most advanced education
According to the report on the Eleventh Plenary Meeting of the Eighth Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea held at the end of last year, the country has already set an aim of building a state which gives the greatest importance to education and is most advanced in education in the world. The meeting advanced a task for the state to supply school things, supplies and equipment on its full responsibility and renovate all schools across the country within the next decade by pushing it forward persistently as a nationwide undertaking so as to carry it through to the end without fail.
As a matter of fact, the DPRK directs enormous investment to the educational work. It enforces universal 12-year compulsory education and gives education at all levels including tertiary education free of charge. Extracurricular education facilities such as schoolchildren’s palaces and children’s camps are operated at state expense. In addition, nationwide efforts are being made to change the educational structure and improve the contents and methods of education more rationally so that students can receive advanced education.
After all, the activities that are conducted during the school-supporting months are aimed at enhancing the social concern about the educational work in step with such state measures. The supporter organizations regard it quite natural to support educational institutions. In every March and October they visit schools with aid materials more often than ever. Such supporting climate remains steady all year round amid growing social concern about education.
As a result of state investment and strong assistance of the supporter organizations, last year alone over 340 schools, 780 branch schools and 150 kindergartens were built or renovated.
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