Suggested citations
AGLC4 | 보통교육법 2015 [Common Education Law of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (2015)] [tr Daye Gang].
Bluebook | Botonggyoyukbeob 2015 [Common Education Law of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (2015)] translated in Law and North Korea by Daye Gang, https://www.lawandnorthkorea.com/.
Adopted on January 19, Juche 100 (2011), as Directive No. 1355 of the Presidium of the Supreme People’s Assembly
Amended and supplemented on September 12, Juche 102 (2013), as Directive No. 3355 of the Presidium of the Supreme People’s Assembly
Amended and supplemented on December 23, Juche 104 (2015), as Directive No. 848 of the Presidium of the Supreme People’s Assembly
CHAPTER I. BASICS OF COMMON EDUCATION LAW
Article 1 (Objectives of Common Education Law)
The Common Education Law of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea shall strictly adopt systems and order in the execution of free compulsory education, the establishment and operation of common education institutions, the training of common education workers, and the organization of education and cultural work, shall improve common education work, and shall serve to grow new generations into laborers of the country that are knowledgeable, morally sound and physically healthy.
Article 2 (Principle of developing common education work)
Resolutely prioritising education work compared to all other work is the consistent policy of the State. The State shall ceaselessly improve and complete the socialist education system in conformity with the requirements of actual development to further develop common education work.
Article 3 (Definition of common education, execution of universal compulsory twelve-year education)
Common education is general education that gives the most general and foundational knowledge about nature and society. Common education includes preschool education, primary education, secondary education. The State shall thoroughly execute universal compulsory twelve-year education so that all new generations receive complete secondary common education until the period they reach working age
Article 4 (Principle of guaranteeing education and cultural work)
The State assuring the education and cultural conditions of students is a fundamental character requirement of the socialist system. The State shall manage education and cultural facilities such as schools, children’s palaces, student and children’s meeting halls, student libraries, juvenile camps, and kindergartens in a modern way, and must correctly operate them.
Article 5 (Principle of training teachers)
Teachers are the direct entities in charge of education work. The State shall adopt a teacher education system in an orderly manner and must grow competent teachers in the common education sector so that they have good prospects.
Article 6 (Principle of strengthening material and technical foundations of the common education sector)
Strengthening the material and technical foundations of the common education sector is a fundamental guarantee for developing education work. The State shall systematically increase investment for the common education law and ceaselessly strengthen the material and technical foundations of the common education sector.
Article 7 (Exchange and cooperation in the common education field)
The State shall develop exchange and cooperation with other countries and international organizations in the common education field.
Article 8 (Subjects of regulation of law)
This law shall regulate the order related to education work in the preschool education, primary education, and secondary education stages. Particulars not regulated in this law related to common education work shall follow the relevant law.
CHAPTER II. EXECUTION OF FREE COMPULSORY EDUCATION
Article 9 (Right and duty to receive secondary education)
Citizens in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea each have the right to a secondary education. The State shall take responsibility for citizens who are school-aged and shall make them compulsorily study.
Article 10 (School system of secondary compulsory education)
Thes school system for secondary compulsory education shall be 12 years and shall be 1 year of preschool education, 5 years of primary school, 3 years of lower secondary school, and 3 years of higher secondary school.
Article 11 (Age of receiving secondary compulsory education)
The age of receiving secondary compulsory education is from 5 years to 16 years. In cases of exceptional talent and abilities, education may be brought forward without restriction on age or grade.
Article 12 (School attendance for school-aged children)
Regional People’s Committees and relevant authorities shall command children who have reached the age of receiving education without exception every year and cause them to attend school. However, children who have physical and intellectual disabilities may attend school or delay it by taking into consideration their disability state. The parents or guardians of childrens who have reached the age of receiving education must compulsorily send their children to school.
Article 13 (Free education)
Secondary general education shall be free. All education expenses related to admission of students, classes, practical training, field trips, and field investigations shall be paid for by the State. Common education institutions may not receive any fee related to admission, class, practical training, field trips, or field investigations from students or his or her parents or guardians.
Article 14 (Scholarship)
The State shall give scholarships to designated students in blind and deaf schools, the First Middle School, and private education institutes.
Article 15 (Guarantee of education and living conditions of people without any other source of help or people with disability)
The State shall take responsibility for education and living conditions for children without parents or guardians and children with disability, such as blind and deaf children, and shall care for them.
Article 16 (Production and supply of textbook and education materials)
Central education guidance institutions and relevant authorities must publish and supply things such as textbooks required for student education, reference books, private lesson books in time before the new academic year starts.
Relevant institutions, enterprises and organizations must produce and guarantee things such as education materials, experiment equipment, and teaching aid equipment in a planned way.
Article 17 (Guarantee of food, school supplies, daily necessities)
Food supply shall be done preferentially to teachers and students, and shall be guaranteed school supplies and daily necessities at a cheap price.
CHAPTER III. ESTABLISHMENT AND OPERATION OF COMMON EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS
Article 18 (Establishment, institution of establishment and operation standards of common education institution)
Correctly doing the establishment and operation of common education institutions is a prerequisite condition for assuring secondary compulsory education. The central education guidance institution shall correctly determine the establishment and operation standards of common education institution and must strictly keep to them.
Article 19 (Classification of common education institutions)
Common education institutions shall be divided into the following according to the content and nature of the study.
1. 1-year kindergartens for preschool education
2. 5-year primary schools for primary education
3. 3-year lower secondary schools for lower stage secondary education
4. 3-year higher secondary schools for higher stage secondary education
5. Blind and deaf schools for the education of people with disability
6. Private education institutes for the education of specific subjects
7. First Middle Schools for students with brilliant minds
Article 20 (Placement of schools)
Regional People’s Committee and relevant authorities shall rationally place schools in the common education sector by taking into consideration things such as city and village construction plans, numbers of students, and school commute conditions. School construction shall be done preferentially by the regional People’s Committees and relevant authorities. In these cases, educational facilities must be sufficiently maintained, such as school buildings, laboratories, practical training bases, schoolyards, and swimming pools.
Article 21 (Names of school)
Names of primary schools, lower secondary schools, and higher secondary schools shall be determined by the relevant regional People’s Committee by receiving the agreement of the central education guidance institutions, and the names of blind and deaf schools and private education institutes shall be determined by the central education guidance institution. In cases where school names are sought to be fixed, the approval of the central education guidance institution or the People’s Committee or in the given area shall be received.
Article 22 (Operation of primary schools, lower secondary schools, higher secondary schools)
Primary schools, lower secondary schools, and higher secondary schools shall be done on the principle of operating separately. Regional People’s Committee and relevant authorities shall operate primary schools, lower secondary schools, and higher secondary schools together, or may separately create branch schools and operate them by taking into consideration the number of students and the commuting distance. In these cases, the approval of the central education guidance institution must be received.
Article 23 (Operation of First Middle Schools)
Central education guidance institutions and People’s Committees in the given area shall create First Middle Schools in the centre and provinces and must give special education to students with exceptional talent and abilities. Admission standards for First Middle Schools must be determined by the central education guidance institution using the principle of the merits system. Regional People’s Committees and relevant authorities must smoothly assure the lodging conditions of First Middle School students.
Article 24 (Operation of private education institutes)
Central education guidance institutions and relevant authorities shall create private education institutes in required areas for the education of specific subjects and must correctly operate them. Regional People’s Committee and relevant authorities must pay deep attention to
private education institute administration and operation work, and must preferentially guarantee the conditions required for the education and standard of life of private education institute students.
Article 25 (Operation of blind and deaf schools)
Blind and deaf schools shall be placed in required areas according to the decision of the central education guidance institution. The central education guidance institution and the People’s Committee of the given area shall correctly do the administration and operation of blind and deaf schools and must responsibly assure the education and living conditions of students.
Article 26 (Education administration work and improving the educational environment)
General education institutions shall regularize and standardize education administration work, shall manage the educational environment in conformity with pedagogical requirements, and must frugally manage school buildings, planning, and facilities. Relevant institutions, enterprises and organizations must periodically maintain things such as school buildings, laboratories, and practical training sites. School facilities may not be used for different work that is not related to education work.
CHAPTER IV. TRAINING GENERAL EDUCATION WORKERS
Article 27 (Classification of general education workers)
General education workers include teachers who are directly responsible for and perform education and cultural work for students and workers who guide them. General education workers must have the relevant qualifications.
Article 28 (Teacher training)
The State shall create teachers colleges and teachers universities in the centre and the provinces, and must train teachers for the common education sector in a planned way. The central education guidance institutions and relevant authorities must ceaselessly improve and strengthen the teacher education system to smoothly assure demand for teachers in the common education sector.
Article 29 (Selection of students for teacher training and post-graduation placement)
Selection of students for teacher training and the placement of students who have finished the teacher education process shall be done by the central education guidance institution and relevant authorities.
Article 30 (Qualifications of teachers)
Teacher qualifications for the common education sector shall be given to persons who have attained reached designated standards as subjects who have graduated from teachers colleges and teachers universities or have received equivalent education.
Teachers must possess high educational and practical qualifications and the character of an educator, and must actively work to advance their qualifications.
Article 31 (Grades of teacher qualifications)
Teacher qualifications grades in the common education sector shall be done as levels 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 by types of school, and the grade assessment period shall be done every three years. A central education guidance institution and regional People’s Committees shall have teacher grade determination committees for making findings on teacher qualifications grades. The teacher qualifications grades determination processes, methods, and evaluation standards shall be determined by the central education guidance institution.
Article 32 (Refresher training for teachers)
Central education guidance institutions and regional People’s Committee shall adopt a refresher training system for teachers, and must normally give short courses by types of school and types of subjects.
Article 33 (Raising teaching abilities)
General education institutions must normally organize things such as teaching observations, teachers’ competitions, experiment equipment and teaching material exhibitions to tirelessly raise teachers’ teaching abilities.
Article 34 (Responsibilities and roles of teachers)
Teachers shall have high pride and honour about growing the laborers of the future, and must entirely fulfil their responsibilities and roles. The State shall respect teachers and treat them preferentially across society.
CHAPTER V. ORGANIZATION OF EDUCATION AND CULTURAL WORK
Article 35 (Requirement to improve education and cultural work)
Doing education and cultural work well is a fundamental requirement of assuring the quality of general education. The central education guidance institution and general education institutions must correctly compose educational content in conformity with the basic theory of socialist pedagogy, and must improve educational methods to ceaselessly raise education and cultural standards for students.
Article 36 (Organization of education and cultural work following educational doctrine)
General education institutions shall organise and conduct education and cultural work according to the educational doctrine handed down by the central education guidance institution. The central education guidance institution must draft and instruct educational doctrine in time.
Article 37 (Compilation of classes)
General education institutions must compile classes with male and female students of a set number and proportion, and must conduct education and cultural work by class unit. Male students and female students must receive education and culture equally without discrimination.
Article 38 (Execution of class teacher system, school subject management system)
General education institutions must execution a class teacher system and a school subject management system according to the level and nature of the education stage. In these cases, classes in the primary education stage shall be done by the class teacher system as the foundation, and classes in the secondary education stage shall be done by the school subject management system.
Article 39 (Organization of departments)
General education institutions must organize and operate departments to collectively consult and take measures about issues arising to improve teachers’ qualifications and teaching methods. Primary schools shall have grade departments that have grades as units, and high schools shall have school subject departments by school subject.
Article 40 (Political ideology education, general knowledge education, sport, and artistic talent education)
General education institutions shall prioritize political ideology education so that students can have sound ideology and morels, multidimensional and deep knowledge, solid stamina, and full emotions, and must correctly combine education on general subjects such as language and literature, history, and geography; foundational scientific and technical subjects including mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, and computing; and education on foreign languages, art, and sports.
Article 41 (Education and culture method)
Education and culture for students shall be done by methods that allow them to realize their independence and creative power. General education institutions must actively accept many kinds of scientific and advanced methods that can raise the effectiveness of education and culture for students.
Article 42 (Compulsory implementation of educational doctrine)
General education institutions must compulsorily implement educational doctrine and must cause students to correctly undergo all pedagogical processes. Teachers and students may not be mobilized for work that is not related to the implementation of educational doctrine without the approval of the relevant authorities.
Article 43 (Evaluation of ability of students)
General education institutions shall solidly organize examinations for evaluation of ability according to what has been decided, and shall improve examination methods to correctly evaluate the absorption degree and utilization ability of the educational content of students. In evaluating the abilities of students, their examination results and their learning progress must also be taken into consideration. Acts may not be done to organize examinations in a disordered way to cause inconvenience to the health and growth to students.
Article 44 (Special education)
General education institutions shall carefully select students who have exceptional talent and abilities, and must systematically give them commensurate education to make sure they grow up into competent experts in the basic science sector and specialist sectors. For students with outstanding abilities, the years of study shall be shortened to rise in grades or graduate early, or they may be admitted early to a relevant higher grade school.
Article 45 (Combination of school education and social education)
The State shall take school education as a foundation and shall closely combine social education to grow students into useful experts who have sound ideology and morals, deep and multidimensional knowledge, and solid stamina. General education institutions must educate students to love organizations and groups from an early age and willingly keep socialist morals and legal order in close connection with the youth league organization and school parents.
CHAPTER VI. GUIDANCE AND CONTROL FOR GENERAL EDUCATION WORK
Article 46 (Basic requirements of guidance and control for general education work)
Strengthening guidance and control for general education work is an important guarantee to correctly implement the general education policy of the State. The State shall strengthen guidance and control over general education work in conformity with the requirements of actual development.
Article 47 (Guidance for general education work)
Guidance for general education work shall be done by the central education guidance institution and the regional People’s Committee under the standardized guidance of the Cabinet. The central education guidance institution and regional People’s Committees shall correctly adopt a guidance system for general education work and must properly command and guide it.
Article 48 (Strengthening education scientific research)
The central education guidance institution and the education science research institution shall ceaselessly strengthen scientific research for the common education sector to smoothly resolve theoretical and practical issues for the development of general education and must scientize, digitize, and modernize education work.
Article 49 (Financial budget in the common education sector)
Funds required for the common education sector shall be guaranteed with the budgets of the State or social, cooperative organizations. Financial banking institutions must correctly draw up the financial budget of the common education sector and must assure it without fail. The financial budget of the common education sector may not be misused.
Article 50 (Strengthening societal support for general education work)
Regional People’s Committee and institutions, enterprises and organizations must thoroughly adopt an ethos of considering education to be serious and must strengthen support for general education institutions.
Article 51 (Supervision and control for general education work)
Supervision and control for general education work shall be done by the central education guidance institution and relevant supervision and control institutions. The central education guidance institution and relevant supervision and control institutions must strictly supervise education work and conditions for guaranteeing education.
Article 52 (Administrative responsibility)
In the following cases, relevant administrative punishment shall be imposed on responsible workers of relevant institutions, enterprises and organizations and individual citizens depending on the gravity.
1. In cases where money or goods have been received related to recommendations for a school or admissions, classes, practical training, field trips, and field investigations
2. In cases where there has been interference with education work because school placement and construction has not been done as designated or the management of school buildings and facilities has not been done well
3. In cases where interference has been caused to the education and culture of students by using school facilities such as school buildings and schoolyards have been used for different work not related to education work
4. In cases where interference has been caused to education work by not doing teacher training or placement work well
5. In cases where educational doctrine implementation has been slowed down or where students have been mobilized for work not related to education without approval
6. In cases where interference has been caused to the health and growth of students by not organizing examinations as designated
7. In cases where textbooks and reference books required for students’ education have not been assured in time and caused interference to education work
8. In cases where things such as textbooks have been illegally published or printed and used for commercial purposes
9. In cases where private teaching activities have been illegally conducted for selfish purposes
Article 53 (Criminal responsibility)
In cases where an act in Article 52 of this law reaches a crime, the responsible worker of institutions, enterprises and organizations and individual citizens shall have criminal responsibility imposed according to the relevant provisions of the criminal law.
Last updated 17 September 2020