내년 교육교부금, 새 산식으로 79조…작년 추정치보다 1.8조↑

The revised educational budget for next year is projected to be around 79 trillion won, up from last year's estimate. Under the existing system, where the budget is linked to domestic tax revenue at 20.79%, the anticipated increase is less than the previous estimate, but more than that before accounting for the semiconductor supercycle's effect on revenue.

According to the Ministry of Education's preliminary budget strategy meeting, the revised total for next year's educational budget is estimated to be 78.9 trillion won. If the current system were maintained, the budget could swell to 100 trillion won due to additional taxes from the semiconductor supercycle. However, this is reduced to around 20 trillion won because the new system no longer links the budget to domestic tax revenue.

Critics have pointed out that maintaining the current system could lead to excessive funding for elementary and middle schools due to a decrease in the number of students. The government explained that the new system results in a more reasonable increase in educational funding compared to the existing rate system. Although the 20.79% linkage to domestic tax revenue has been eliminated, the government assured that more funds will be guaranteed compared to the previous long-term estimates (77.1 trillion won).

The actual estimate for 2030 is 90.1 trillion won, which is 4 trillion won more than the pre-reform 2030 educational budget estimate (85.9 trillion won). The government emphasized that the remaining amount from the domestic tax linkage (20.79%) will be allocated to a separate fund for future efforts such as early childhood, higher, and lifelong education, ensuring that overall educational investment is not reduced.

Ministry officials stated that the current educational budget estimate is quite conservative and sufficient to handle future increases in construction costs and education demand. Education officials also believed that proper financial management over the next five years would allow for stable operations in basic educational activities despite the declining student population in the future.