"Helping Students Build Reading Habits in the Classroom"... Intensive Support for Elementary Grades 3-4, Middle Grade 1, and High Grade 1

Ministry of Education Announces Measures to Promote Reading Education in Schools
Supporting Reading Habits with "10 Minutes of Reading Every Morning"
Expanding School Reading Culture to All Elementary, Middle, and High Schools by 2030

Starting next year, reading education within public schools is expected to be further strengthened. The Ministry of Education plans to designate third and fourth grades in elementary school, first grade in middle school, and first grade in high school as "focused years for reading education." Each year, 40 schools will be selected as "model schools for reading education" until 2030. Additionally, all elementary, middle, and high schools will implement initiatives such as "10 minutes of reading every morning," aiming to establish a strong reading culture in schools.

On July 2, the Ministry of Education announced these measures as part of its "Plan to Revitalize School Reading Education."

From next year, the Ministry of Education will designate grades 3 and 4 in elementary school, grade 1 in middle school, and grade 1 in high school as "focused years for reading education" and will provide customized programs. Diagnostic and counseling tools for reading competency will be developed for each school level, enabling teachers to offer guidance based on students' reading tendencies. After a pilot program next year, these tools will be fully implemented starting in 2028.

The integration of classroom activities and reading will also be strengthened. Students will read books related to their subjects and participate in systematic post-reading activities, such as discussions, during class. By 2030, the Ministry will solicit and develop 1,000 teaching and learning models annually that link reading with subject lessons. These programs will be made available on "Dokseoro," a reading activity support platform, categorized by subject and achievement standards, so teachers can incorporate them into their classes.

To help students read naturally at school, the Ministry will also promote a "reading school culture" initiative. Programs such as the "10 Minutes of Reading Together Every Morning" campaign will support students in developing reading habits. Starting with 1,000 elementary, middle, and high schools this year, this initiative will expand to all schools by 2030.

In the future, reading activities recorded on the "Dokseoro" platform will be integrated with NEIS (National Education Information System) and automatically entered into the "reading activities" section of each student's school life record.

To ensure that reading activities continue during school breaks, the Ministry will support the rental of up to five e-books per month for all students during vacation periods.

Additionally, the features of "Dokseoro" will be improved by 2028 so that parents can check and encourage their children's reading records.

To ensure the stable implementation of school reading education policies, legal and institutional foundations will also be strengthened. Efforts include revising the "Framework Act on Education" to add provisions on the responsibilities of the national and local governments to promote reading; initiating policy research to revise the current "School Library Promotion Act," which is currently focused on the establishment and operation of school libraries, to provide a legal basis for reading education as a whole; revising the general curriculum to ensure reading education is not limited to specific subjects; and conducting surveys and policy research to establish effective reading education policies.

Choi Kyojin, Minister of Education, stated, "Even in an era dominated by digital media, we must help our children experience the genuine joy of reading," adding, "We will support systematic reading education centered on school classes so that the joy of reading can become part of students' daily lives."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.