Education minister Park Soon-ae says one way to implement lowering the school starting age is to spread it out over 12 years, shifting the cutoff for enrollment by one month each year.

The minister made the comment in a radio interview on Monday in response to growing public resistance to the government’s plan to start children in elementary school earlier - from the current six to five years old - announced late last week. 

In unveiling the alternative to adopting the change by the end of 2025, she said if there is too much public concern about lowering the age by three months over four years, a slower implementation over 12 years is also possible.

During the interview, the minister said the government is not ruling out other potential changes to the school year system, such as combining kindergartens with elementary schools as is the case in other countries like the U.S.

The minister also addressed the concerns surrounding the 1 p.m. ending time for first and second grade classes and the subsequent need for child care services for students with working parents, promising that schools will provide such services until 8 p.m. and hire teaching assistants if necessary.