The government said on the 29th it will classify types of alternative education institutions and newly establish building-use categories for each type in law.
The Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport on this day pre-announced amendments to the Enforcement Decree on the Act on Alternative Education Institutions and the Enforcement Decree of the Building Act. An alternative education institution is an institution that aims to provide education tailored to each learner's aptitude and autonomously runs its curriculum, staffing, and student admissions. It is estimated that about 11,000 students are currently enrolled in alternative education institutions.
Alternative education institutions have so far operated in a variety of spaces, including multiunit housing, neighborhood living facilities, and religious facilities. Unlike schools or private academies, current building laws and regulations do not clearly specify uses available to alternative education institutions. Because of this, some local governments determined that alternative education institutions had illegally changed the use of buildings and issued corrective orders or imposed noncompliance penalties.
In response, the Ministry of Education revised the Enforcement Decree on the Act on Alternative Education Institutions to classify types of alternative education institutions. Institutions operating in residential spaces such as multiunit housing were designated as "home-based alternative education institutions," and those operating in facilities for educational or religious purposes were classified as "general alternative education institutions."
Reflecting this, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) added alternative education institutions as a building-use category in the Enforcement Decree of the Building Act and defined home-based alternative education institutions as uses for detached houses and multiunit housing. General alternative education institutions are defined as neighborhood living facilities class 2 if the total floor area is under 500㎡, and as educational and research facilities if 500㎡ or larger.
With this legal revision, about 91% of alternative education institutions are expected to be able to operate legally in the buildings they currently use. The government plans to grant a three-year grace period for the remaining 9% of alternative education institutions to change use or relocate.