Popular Education System

Popular Education System

Pyongyang, September 7 (KCNA) -- The Korean people enjoy the free socialist education system thanks to the popular educational policy consistently pursued by the Workers' Party and Government of Korea. Since he started revolutionary activities, President Kim Il Sung had paid close attention to the development of education, considering the education of the rising generation as a matter decisive of the country's destiny and the nation's future. He set up Samgwang School on an experimental basis in Guyushu in the early 1930s to give free education to young people. With experience gained from the socialist education, he put forward tasks for establishing a popular education system in "The Ten-point Programme of the Association for the Restoration of the Fatherland" he worked out in the period of the anti-Japanese armed struggle. He had a matter of pencil put on the agenda of the first session of the Provisional People's Committee of North Korea held in February Juche 35 (1946) and led the entire people to turn out in the effort for the development of education, giving priority to the educational work. He made sure that the educational work continued without interruption even in the period of the Fatherland Liberation War and that universities and all other schools were reconstructed before anything else in the postwar period. Under his leadership the country introduced the universal compulsory primary and secondary education systems in the 1950s, the universal 9-year compulsory technical education system in the 1960s and the universal 11-year compulsory education system in the 1970s. In September 1977 he published "Theses on Socialist Education" to clearly indicate the way to be followed by Juche-based education. The socialist education system, established by the President, has been further consolidated under deep care of General Secretary Kim Jong Il. The younger generation are preparing themselves as successors to the revolutionary cause of Juche, equipped with a wide range of knowledge, under the best socialist education system. The study-while-working education system is also available in the country.