[lineswoodec 2023] Parents who fail to fulfill compulsory education will have to pay a legal price

A few days ago, according to The Paper, the District Court of the People's Court of Meigu County, Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province, came to the People's Government of Jinggetex Township, Meigu Province, and the guardianship was not transferred. Send your children to school for compulsory education. In this case, the defendant's daughter was 15 years old and had to go to compulsory education, but she dropped out in September 2022. City government officials came several times to dissuade him, but he still did not want to return to school to continue his studies. In this case, the township government sued the defendant and demanded that the ward be sent to school within a specified time to complete compulsory education.

It is truly unacceptable to do so in a situation where compulsory education has become completely public education. According to the Korean Compulsory Education Act, minors of school age must receive compulsory education. There is no disagreement on this fundamental issue, and there is no reason to discourage minors from compulsory education. Guardians who violate these provisions are not fulfilling their basic obligations. In this case, local authorities have the right to prosecute irresponsible guardians who do not fulfill their duties.

The so-called compulsory education is compulsory to some extent because it is a legal obligation. However, in reality, many of them do not send their children to school due to poor family circumstances and weak legal awareness. For many years in a relatively poor area, they wanted their children to enter society as quickly as possible to earn money, support themselves, and help their families. However, with the recent promotion of rural development and poverty alleviation, it is rare for families living in mountainous areas to prevent their children from going to school for economic reasons. The education budget of lower-level local governments was also increased to eliminate material barriers for school-aged children as much as possible. In this case, the old and ignorant conception of some people is a more stubborn problem.

Parents should understand that sending their children to school for compulsory education is not a 'free choice' for parents, and that there are legal penalties for violating this. Dropping out of school is not a family 'personal matter', but a serious proposal related to the development of national education. Some guardians drop their children out of school or refuse to cooperate with demands for school and government reform, delaying their children's future as well as exposing them to the law.

This incident can actually serve as a warning to the audience who lack common sense and sense of responsibility. At the same time, we must begin to effectively address the issue of school dropout and readmission of minors in certain regions from a different angle. For example, relevant departments must increase funding for primary education, retain quality teachers, and ensure that minors in all regions receive the same educational resources. In addition, relevant institutions should promote compulsory education, which is not understood, especially in some remote rural areas where there are many behind-the-scenes children and caregivers are often very old. Strengthening the group's public-political and educational work is therefore a task that cannot be ignored.

As part of the general trend to comprehensively improve the quality of compulsory education, no minors should be left unattended in schools anywhere in our country. Whether for economic or conceptual reasons, we must remove the barriers to the education and raising of our children and strive to make our country bloom.