The ordinance on enforcing the universal 12-year compulsory education was promulgated at the recent Sixth Session of the 12th Supreme People's Assembly of the DPRK.

The universal 12-year compulsory education represents the development in depth of the universal 11-year compulsory education, Rodong Sinmun says, and goes on:

The promulgation of the ordinance marks an important occasion in bringing about a radical turn in the educational work as required by the age of the knowledge-based economy.

The universal 12-year compulsory education is a higher phase of the secondary general education system.

The advantages of the new education system lie in that it is aimed at helping the younger generation round off the secondary general education in the period of the 12-year systematic education which consists of one-year pre-school education, five-year primary school education, three-year junior middle school education and three-year senior middle school education. The new education system will bring about a dramatic change in the secondary general education ranging from the system, contents and methods of education to training teachers and providing conditions for education. The promulgation of the ordinance is of great significance as it is an important measure for further perfecting the DPRK's educational system and bringing about a radical turn in the educational work as required by the age of IT and the age of the knowledge-based economy.

It provides a sure guarantee to fully preparing the younger generation as strong pillars of the Songun revolution and able persons for the building of a thriving nation.

The new education system will help students firmly equip themselves with the revolutionary outlook on the world, learn secondary general knowledge and modern basic technological knowledge useful in practice and acquire creative ability for conducting independent activities after proceeding to society upon their graduation.

The country's future depends on the educational work. The revolutionary cause of Juche, the Songun revolutionary cause is sure to triumph and the future of the DPRK is immensely rosy thanks to the reliable ranks of successors growing up stoutly under the Juche-oriented educational system.

Minju Joson calls on all people to make vigorous endeavors for successfully putting into force the universal 12-year compulsory education, true to the dear respected Marshal Kim Jong Un's noble outlook on the younger generation and the future.