The ruling Saenuri Party is pushing to reform the school system as part of its campaign to raise the nation’s fertility rate and cope with an aging population.

Rep. Kim Jung-hoon, the party’s chief policymaker, said Wednesday that the government has agreed to consider the party’s proposal to overhaul the school system.

The scheme calls for lowering the starting age for primary education from the current 6 years old to 5. It also seeks to shorten the schooling years of primary and secondary education from the current six years each to five.

The party put forward the drastic reform plan as a response to the harsh public criticism leveled at the government’s latest package of measures against low fertility and an aging population.

The package, unveiled earlier this week, drew fire for lacking bold and effective initiatives.

The Saenuri Party’s plan is intended to ensure that young people enter the workforce at an earlier age than now by shortening their schooling years.

The assumption underlying the plan is that people who start work early in their life will get married earlier and give birth to more babies than those who start working at an older age. 

The ruling party’s scheme is not without its merits. Korea’s young people generally spend more years studying compared to their peers in other countries, imposing heavy burdens on both their families and society.

Long schooling causes a delay in entering the workforce. This is especially true for young men as they have to fulfill their military service during or after their studies.

It is also true that young people who are late in entering the labor force tend to get married later. Late marriage naturally limits the number of babies they are likely to have.

Shortening the schooling years will alleviate the heavy burden that parents bear to educate their children. It will also help expand the pool of young people ready to join the labor force.

But the proposed reform of the school system would not serve the intended purpose unless jobs are available once the young graduates finish school.

In other words, the assumption underlying the plan is tenable only when those leaving school early can find a job easily.

To raise the nation’s low fertility rate, it is necessary to push reforms in various sectors of society. Yet the ruling party would do well not to rush to reform the school system as its scheme could create more problems than it solves. It needs to thoroughly examine potential problems before making a determined push.