For the Bright Future of Country: DPRK

-Origins of Universal 12-Year Compulsory Education System

 Ten years ago, on September 25th, 2012, the 6th Session of the 12th Supreme People’s Assembly of the DPRK adopted the law on enforcing universal 12-year compulsory education by extending the term of compulsory education for children by one year.

 At that time, our Party and state were faced with many urgent tasks of building a socialist power by changing the grief and sorrow caused by the sudden bereavement of the great Chairman into great strength and courage.  To make matters worse, the economic state of the country was very difficult due to the ever-worsening moves of the imperialists aimed at stifling the DPRK.

 The adoption of the law on the universal 12-year education at such a time was indeed a great and courageous decision that can only be made by the respected comrade Kim Jong Un who puts education as the most important task of the state for the bright future of the country which permits no delay or suspension, and spares nothing in this endeavor.

Given the global education development trend, increase in the period of education requires long-term and large-scale investment.

 The UNESCO had once published its view, after analyzing the correlation between education period and economic growth rate of several countries, that economic growth rate increases 9% if education period is prolonged 1 year.

 This illustrates that the more the education period is extended, the more benefits we can get in economic development and cultivation of the talented.

Yet, many countries in the world give careful consideration to the matter of extending education period even though they recognize the importance of education and besides, this is becoming an unimaginably tough task for countries unstable in politics and economy.

 In our country, however, preparatory works to enforce the universal 12-year compulsory education system have been undergone in an accurate manner under the wise leadership of respected Comrade Kim Jong Un.

 Everything necessary for education – matters of increasing the number of teachers and improving their qualifications and constructing new school buildings as per the requirement of new establishment of primary boarding schools and secondary boarding schools, and providing new stationary for students – have been completely solved at the expense of state. Like this, after 1-year preparation, the 12-year compulsory education system has entered into operation since 2014.

Today, our children and students are giving full play to their desires and dreams of learning thanks to the universal 12-year compulsory education system and they are fully displaying their distinguishing talents in various international stages like the International Polish Grand Music Competition- Festival dedicated to Fryderyk Chopin and World Memory Championships, arousing admiration of the world.

 As we have children learning to their hearts’ content with such an excellent education condition and environment, the future of our fatherland will always be bright and promising.

-Story of Love Permeated in Children’s Shoes

  Our people always look back with deep emotion on the stories of love for posterity cherished by President Kim Il Sung who regarded our children as kings and queens of the country and bestowed all possible love and affection for them throughout his life.

 Of many stories, there is an unforgettable one that tells of the love for posterity cherished by President Kim Il Sung who listened with affection to children’s impertinent words and even cared about their shoes.

 One day in April, 1960, President Kim Il Sung called four children, who were playing in new uniforms in the park.

 So pleased to see them in neat outfits, he smiled brightly and asked them how many pairs of canvas shoes they wear throughout a year.

 Each of them said they wear 3 or 4 pairs respectively.

 As the country had not still recovered from the aftermath of war, it was not easy for families to afford 3~4 pairs of canvas shoes for children in a year.

After listening to their answers attentively, President Kim Il Sung said that it is not good to wear shoes, bending the heel grip or scuffing the heels but it would be nice to have their shoes worn out by doing sports or dancing.

Children were puzzled at his unexpected words.

 As they were always being scolded by their parents for roughly wearing shoes, they felt like having compliments from President Kim Il Sung.

Instead of blaming their mischief, President Kim Il Sung complimented them so as not to make them have a sense of shame because of the shoes. Indeed, he was a father to our children.

 Paying deep attention to the children’s thoughtless words, he figured the amount of shoes to be provided to all children across the country and visited shoe-making factories and saw to it that children’s shoes were given preference over the adults' shoes. He also personally assessed the quality of manufactured shoes and devoted his all for solving the children’s shoes problem.

 The history of ardent love for children by President Kim Il Sung for his whole life is now being enriched by respected Comrade Kim Jong Un, who especially loves children and schoolchildren.

 Even though everything is scarce and difficult, the respected Comrade

Kim Jong Un set it as the most important policy for our Party and government to provide improved education and upbringing conditions for our children, saying that no revolutionary work can be more important than the upbringing of children – the future of our country. Thanks to his love, our schoolchildren are growing without envy, receiving new uniforms, school things, schoolbags and shoes from season to season at the state’s expense.

 Hence, our foreign friends are unanimously expressing their feelings at the sight of our happy children:

“Despite the global pandemic, Kim Jong Un, President of the State Affairs recently instructed to provide all infants of the DPRK with milk powder and rice powder, all schoolchildren with new-style summer uniforms. This reflects his noble view on posterity and future. Thanks to his love, children and schoolchildren of the DPRK are learning to their hearts’ content according to their talents and hobbies in centers for early education in arts and extracurricular education centers. But the forsaken children across the world are being reduced to victims of all social evils. This reality suggests many things.”

 The respected Comrade Kim Jong Un loves our children as in the same way as President Kim Il Sung and Chairman Kim Jong Il who called our children the most precious treasures of priceless worth of the country and the entirety of hope and future and sought happiness in their smiling faces. Thanks to his love, the future of our country, as in the past and the present, will be ever brighter and promising along with our prosperous tomorrow.

-What is Mirrored in the Eyes of Children?

 Ponbu Kindergarten in Sinuiju City, a border town located in the northwest of our country, is a household name across the country as the one of training a large number of prodigies of music, painting, calligraphy, composition, mathematics, etc. The prodigies from this kindergarten have even appeared on the stages of the national cultural events including the grand mass gymnastics and artistic performance “Arirang” and “The Glorious Country”.

 From 1986 until now, hundreds of thousands of foreigners from tens of countries including the UK, Germany, Indonesia, Switzerland and Norway, have visited this kindergarten. What has caught their admiration most is the performance by the children.

Whoever saw the performance can hardly refrain from his or her feeling of admiration for its well-established ensemble, high artistic ability and deep emotions which are too good to be believed that it is the performance by the children aged 5 to 6.

Much more surprising is the fact that most of the prodigies trained at this kindergarten are sons and daughters of ordinary workers and that three teachers are assigned the task of teaching each one child who learns music. Those include the hearing and sight reading teacher, special course teacher and class teacher respectively.

It is quite natural that the visitors are amazed to see this reality where three teachers are assigned to teach the children of the ordinary family talents at state’s expense. This is a reality which can never be found in other countries. The nature of the social system and the phases of the times are sure to be mirrored in the clear eyes of children which are as pure as white snow.

In our country where children are regarded as the kings and queens, the issue relating to children has become the one of greatest importance and concern. The fact that the issues relating to children are discussed and decided as a first priority at the meetings discussing the policies of the Party and the state is one of the clear evidences showing what kind of view and attitude our Party and state have towards the issue of childcare and posterity.

Without posterity, we have no future; let us dedicate ourselves to the happiness and comfort of posterity - this is the view of respected Comrade Kim Jong Un on the posterity and the future. It is from this view that respected Comrade Kim Jong Un never stops thinking about the happiness of posterity and continues to go along the road of devotion for them, saying that he invigorates himself to see the children whenever he is beyond his power or wants to have a small rest and that this is the only one mental strength he can get from children.

While looking at the happy laughter of the children at this kindergarten that can never be cooked up or made up, they opened their hearts saying frankly that they want to see their own children being brought up at such a wonderful kindergarten.

Children are now growing up healthy in Ponbu Kindergarten in Sinuiju City and other kindergartens in all parts of our country, giving full play to their talents according to their aptitude.