{"id":2198062,"date":"2022-08-08T13:35:30","date_gmt":"2022-08-08T04:35:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nknews.org\/pro\/?p=2198062"},"modified":"2023-04-05T16:11:46","modified_gmt":"2023-04-05T07:11:46","slug":"disastrous-rollout-of-education-policy-drives-yoons-approval-rating-lower-still","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/08\/disastrous-rollout-of-education-policy-drives-yoons-approval-rating-lower-still\/","title":{"rendered":"Disastrous rollout of education policy drives Yoon\u2019s approval rating lower still"},"content":{"rendered":"
Another week, another significant decline in Yoon\u2019s approval rating. His approval now rests at just <\/span>24 percent<\/span><\/a> \u2014 down from 28 percent <\/span>one week ago<\/span><\/a> \u2014 with disapproval rates now at 66 percent, according to Gallup Korea.<\/span><\/p>\n The <\/span>continued drop<\/span><\/a> in his approval was completely predictable following yet another fiasco of the administration\u2019s own doing. And that was before Nancy Pelosi arrived in Seoul.<\/span><\/p>\n Seemingly out of thin air, the administration announced on July 29 that it would lower the age to enter school from 6 to 5 years old. The announcement was a shock to just about everyone. The policy initiative did not appear in his campaign pledges. The president and those around him never seem to have discussed such a plan publicly. And yet, the education minister <\/span>said<\/span><\/a> the change would take place in 2025.<\/span><\/p>\n The proposal went down like a lead balloon, with near-universal <\/span>opposition to the plan<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n In coming up with this change, the administration failed in the most basic task of governing. There were <\/span>no previous discussions<\/span><\/a> with the teachers\u2019 unions. There were no trial balloons to gauge the reactions of parents across the country.<\/span><\/p>\n Yoon has only now tasked the ministry to \u201c<\/span>find out what the people want<\/span><\/a>,\u201d suggesting there was no internal polling done on the topic to give key decision-makers insight into broader public attitudes. The government did not undertake any of the tasks associated with an effective rollout of a new policy initiative.<\/span><\/p>\n But most importantly, making such a change <\/span>would require<\/span><\/a> the approval of the National Assembly. And since the opposition party controls the parliament, it is critical to establish a base of support for this policy initiative.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n