This is the full text of the Ordinance of the Supreme People’s Assembly “On Implementing the Universal 12-Year Compulsory Education” that was adopted at the 6th session of the 12th Supreme People’s Assembly on 25 September 2012.

SUPREME PEOPLE’S ASSEMBLY OF THE
DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF KOREA

ORDINANCE

ON IMPLEMENTING THE UNIVERSAL 12-YEAR COMPULSORY EDUCATION

The education work is one of the basic issues that decides the rise and fall of the country and the future destiny of the nation.

Only when the rising new generations are firmly raised to be Juche-oriented revolutionary talents may the revolution and construction be firmly advanced and the revolution be continued through the generations.

The Workers’ Party of Korea and the government of the Republic adhered to the principle of providing preferential significance to the education of future generations and putting the education work ahead of all works in pressing the revolution and construction and achieving the strength and prosperity of the country and the nation and did not spare anything if they are necessary for the education of future generations despite the difficult situation of the country.

The government of the Republic opened the wide path of learning for the rising new generations by implementing the compulsory primary education in Juche 45 (1956) that was followed by the implementation of the compulsory secondary education in Juche 47 (1958) which were a first in the East despite the difficult conditions of the post-war reconstruction and basic socialist construction.

The government of the Republic prepared a springboard to raise the new generations into revolutionary talents with practical knowledge that may be useful in reality and rapidly raise the overall technical standards of society by implementing the original universal 9-year compulsory technical education of our style that closely combines general secondary education with basic technical education and education with productive labor in Juche 56 (1967), which is the period when the task of socialist industrialization has been completely carried out in our country.

The 70s of the last century is the period when groundbreaking changes took place in the development of education in the country.

The government of the Republic implemented the universal 11-year compulsory education for the first time in the world in Juche 61 (1972) when our people raised high the banner of Juche and socialism and spread out a great heyday in all fields of state and social life through creation and transformation under the wise leadership of the great Comrades Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il.

The implementation of the universal 11-year compulsory education is the legitimate action to raise the standards of free compulsory education and renew the educational contents according to the demand of the era and the development of the revolution and raise the new generations into revolutionary talents who are endlessly faithful to the Party, the leader, the country and the people and competent socialist builders.

Through the brisk promotion of the work to improve and strengthen the general secondary education by having the universal 11-year compulsory education successfully implemented, the bases for training prodigies excellently set up and having these as examples, reserves of talented scientists and technicians who may greatly contribute to the development of the science and technology of the country were raised in large numbers.

The achievements and contributions of scientists and youths of the new generation who grew up receiving the universal 11-year compulsory education are imbued in having our Republic today proudly become a highly dignified military power with nuclear deterrents and a country that manufactures and launches artificial earth satellites, the CNC technology and flexible production system of our system introduced be in various sectors of the people’s economy and the Juche-oriented and modern heavy and light industry bases and great monumental creations be set up in great numbers.

All the successes achieved in implementing the universal 11-year compulsory education and the work of training talents is the brilliant fruit brought by the noble idea of educating the future educations and energetic leadership of the great Comrades Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il.

The demand for education is rising beyond comparison now that our revolution entered a new high stage to model the whole society on Kimilsungism-Kimjongilism.

Before us is the heavy and honorable task to raise the new generations more properly as pillars of the revolution who will carry the revolutionary causes of Juche and Songun by further increasing the qualitative standards of education according to the demand of the era and the development of the revolution to break through the cutting edge.

The Workers’ Party of Korea and the government of the Republic is implementing the universal 12-year compulsory education in reflection of the realistic demands to completely construct a strong socialist state.

The implementation of the universal 12-year compulsory education becomes a great event that demonstrates to the whole world the firm advance of our Republic as an educational power and a developed socialist civilized country as an important action that is the integration of the noble view of the respected Comrade Kim Jong Un on the country, the future generations and the future.

The universal 12-year compulsory education is the most legitimate and superior education that raises the new generations as Juche-oriented revolutionary talents possessing complete general secondary knowledge, modern basic technical knowledge and creative abilities by decisively raising the quality of education to meet the realistic demands and world trends in the development of education in the era of the knowledge economy.

The implementation of the universal 12-year compulsory education is the work of the whole state, the whole people and the whole society.

We have the outstanding and seasoned leadership of the ever-victorious Workers’ Party of Korea and the valuable success of implementing the universal 12-year compulsory education that has confirmed superiority and vitality through practice and the firm foundations of the independent national economy.

The Supreme People’s Assembly of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea discussed the issue on implementing the universal 12-year compulsory education and decided as follows.

1. The universal 12-year compulsory education is implemented in all areas of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

1) The universal 12-year compulsory education is implemented for free.

2) The targets that receive the universal 12-year compulsory education are all children and teenagers from the age of five until the age of 17.

3) The universal 12-year compulsory education has one-year preschool education, five-year primary schooling, three-year junior middle schooling and three-year senior middle schooling.

4) The six-year middle schooling is operated by dividing it into the three-year junior middle schooling and the three-year senior middle schooling from school year Juche 102 (2013) – Juche 103 (2014). It is operated by dividing into junior middle schools and senior middle schools in areas equipped with educational conditions including the seats of provinces (municipalities), cities (districts) and counties and it may be operated by establishing junior middle classes and senior middle classes in schools in areas where educational conditions have not been prepared or with a low number of students.

5) The work of turning the four-year primary schooling to five-year primary schooling goes through the necessary preparatory stage to be started from school year Juche 103 (2014) – Juche 104 (2015) and ended within two to three years.

6) The general goals of the universal 12-year compulsory education and the goals to be attained for every type of school are clearly set and the scope and standards of the educational content are determined and the course plans and syllabuses are prepared based on these and issued to schools at all levels before the new school year in Juche 102 (2013).

7) The school system and educational issues in special types of schools are separately set.

2. Measures are set up to supplement the shortage of teachers, raise the qualifications of teachers and improve the educational method in relation with the implementation of the universal 12-year compulsory education.

1) The labor structure of teachers and the college freshmen plan in the sector of training teachers are increased as the primary school system is turned from a four-year system to a five-year system.

2) The strict discipline of selecting middle school graduates (including first middle school graduates) with the most excellent academic ability and may be equipped with the dignity of being teachers to recommend and admit them to normal colleges and teachers’ colleges without relation to their residence through city (district) and county units and unconditionally placing graduates of teachers’ colleges in schools with a shortage of teachers.

3) Shortages in the ranks of teachers are supplemented by looking for those with the experience and qualification of being teachers.

4) The course plans in normal colleges and teachers’ colleges are examined and they are properly organized according to the purpose of training teachers and the qualifications of teachers and educators are raised by strengthening courses and re-education for teachers before the new school year in Juche 102 (2013).

5) The work of making teaching and experimental practice information-oriented, computerizing the educational administration and management and forming the information communication network between the Education Commission and education institutions throughout the country is firmly promoted.

6) The teaching method of realization is completely materialized in the general secondary education sector by deepening the research on the educational method.

3. The state investment on the education work is increased and the necessary conditions and environment is prepared in implementing the universal 12-year compulsory education.

1) The state investment on the education work is decisively increased according to the demand of the development of education in the era of the knowledge economy.

2) The work of newly constructing or extending schools to resolve the shortage of classrooms in a short period of time in relation with the implementation of the universal 12-year compulsory education ends before the new school year in Juche 106 (2017) and the principle of advancing the construction of schools in the construction of residential areas is adhered.

3) Branch schools and dormitories for teachers and students are set up and school commute buses, school commute trains and school commute in farming villages and mountain areas where the school commute distance is far.

4) The necessary school fixtures, school products, educational training equipment and experiment tools and materials for implementing the universal 12-year compulsory education are promptly produced and supplied.

5) The necessary textbooks and reference books for every type of school in implementing the universal 12-year compulsory education are smoothly guaranteed by decisively raising the ability of factories that print educational books and sufficiently guaranteeing materials including paper.

6) Each province (municipality) creates one to two examples such as the Kyongsang Kindergarten and generalize them to all kindergartens until the first half of Juche 102 (2013)

7) The living conditions that allow teachers and researchers in the sector of scientific research in education to settle down and work are responsibly guaranteed.

4. The administrative guidance and legal control to successfully implement the universal 12-year compulsory education are strengthened.

1) The work of implementing the universal 12-year compulsory education is conducted as the work of the whole state, the whole people and the whole society.

2) City (district) and county people’s committees conduct the work to implement the universal 12-year compulsory education by closely connecting it with the movement of winning the title of exemplary education county (city or district).

3) Provincial (municipality), city (district) and county people’s committees act to properly set school support organizations and raise their role.

4) Public security and prosecutors institutions at all levels strengthen legal controls to eliminate the disorderly mobilization of teachers and students outside of the state mobilization that is reflected in the course plans.

5) Public security and prosecutors institutions at all levels should conduct a strong legal struggle against phenomena that hinder the education work and scientific research work by recklessly providing social tasks to education institutions including schools and scientific research institutions in education.

5. The Cabinet of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and relevant institutions will set up practical measures to execute this ordinance.

SUPREME PEOPLE’S ASSEMBLY OF THE
DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF KOREA

September 25, Juche 101 (2012)

Pyongyang