Will kindergartens and elementary schools be integrated due to low birth rates? The government is starting a study in South Korea

In South Korea, where the population is declining at an accelerating rate, a government-affiliated research institute has begun research into creating a model for integrating kindergartens and elementary schools.
Following the establishment of integrated schools for "middle school" or "middle and high schools," the South Korean government appears to be considering whether to include kindergartens as well.
On the 9th, the Korea Childcare Policy Research Institute under the Ministry of Education announced that this year's basic research topic was "Kindergarten-Learning
The research project was selected as the theme for the study. The project will run until November 30th of this year.
This research was initiated at the suggestion of the Ministry of Education in light of the declining population trend.
In recent years, kindergartens and schools have been closed, which has led to a vicious cycle of accelerated disappearance of local communities. In order to prevent this, schools have been integrated to increase the number of students and prevent the closure of kindergartens and schools.
The basic purpose of this research is to slow down this process. Currently, there are cases of schools integrating with each other, such as "integrated elementary and junior high schools" that operate both elementary and junior high schools.
Kim Dong-hoon, a researcher at the Childcare Policy Research Institute, said, "We are examining various models to see if there is a model that can be integrated in terms of systems and policies.
"We will consider and propose ways to improve the school's education," said Kim. Currently, there is a kindergarten that is operated alongside an elementary school, but it is merely physically attached and there is no educational cooperation between the two schools.
"Strictly speaking, co-located kindergartens are an example of joint management, but they are still run separately, so there are limitations," he said.
On the other hand, experts say, "Even if we take into account the developmental stages and educational curriculum, there is no point in coordinating education between kindergartens and elementary schools.
"There is logic to this," he said.