(para. 17), but no accurate information is available regarding the total number of
children in poverty and the number of children in need of the state-funded free meals. In
particular, the state-funded meal policy is governed simultaneously by the Ministry of
Education, Science and Technology and the Ministry of Health and Welfare, and is
financed by the budget of local governments. For this reason, it is considerably probable
that the children in need of free meals do not benefit the state-funded meal program.
Furthermore, it is criticized that the meal subsidies fail to reflect the current level of
prices. It is encouraging that the Act concerning Prevention of Child Poverty and
Support to Poor Children was formulated in July 2011, but this legislation is still limited,
given that it does not specify a clear division of roles between the national and local
governments and a set of specific standards on the budget allocation and service
delivery system.
76. The Government, first of all, should build up the community-based
system for child protection, increase the community child centers especially in the
rural areas to narrow the urban-rural gap, and establish more community-based
child protection programs, including the Dream Start Project, at the municipality
level. Second, the Government should come up with accurate data on child poverty
rate, in both absolute and relative terms, and conduct the relevant fact-finding
studies and research on a regular basis. Third, it should ensure that the duality in
administration of the state-funded meal policy does not lead to a blind spot of the
state-funded meal program and the meal subsidies are readjusted to a realistic
level.
Ⅶ. Education, Leisure and Cultural Activities
(Articles 28, 29 and 31)
1. Right to Education (Article 28 of CRC) and the Goals of Education
(Article 29 of CRC)
Highly Competitive Education Geared to College Entrance Tests (CRC/C/KOR/3-4,
para. 435)
77. According to the outcome of the Diagnostic Study on Core Capabilities of
Korean Youths conducted by the National Youth Policy Institute in 2010, Korea ranked
35th among the selected 36 nations, in terms of the socially interactive capability of
young people. Specialists analyze that this low standing is largely due to the lack of
education for character building under the current education system marked by high
competition and disproportionate emphasis on college entrance tests. Although the
Government, after submitting the 2nd Periodic Report in 2003, received the
recommendation from the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child 'to draw up the
education policy that reduces competition and reflect the objectives of education
specified in CRC', it is still intent on encouraging competition among the students and
orienting the curricula toward the college entrance tests, adopting the High School
Diversification Project. This highly competitive education with great emphasis on
college entrance is closely associated with many problems, such as the growth of child
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