Level Tests at English Academies for Young Children to Be Fully Banned Starting Next Month

Entrance exams at English academies for young children will be banned starting next month. The level tests that academies have used for recruiting and grouping young children will be fully prohibited from next month. The Ministry of Education said on the 22nd that a partial revision of the Enforcement Decree of the Act on the Establishment and Operation of Private Teaching Institutes was reviewed and approved at the State Council meeting. The ministry had announced the proposed revision for legislation on the 7th of last month.

The revision expands the scope of banned practices to include written, oral, practical, and interview exams, as well as performance-based assessments and demands for report cards or certificates from outside institutions. However, assessing a child's level through observation, conversation, or consultation after academy enrollment or the start of private tutoring will be permitted as an exception, provided parental consent is obtained.

A legal basis has also been established for paying rewards to those who report violations, with fines imposed based on the number of violations: 1 million won for a first offense, 2 million won for a second, and 3 million won for a third.

According to the ministry's 2024 Survey on Private Education Spending for Young Children, the private education participation rate among infants and toddlers stood at 47.6%, with 5.6 hours per week and average monthly spending of 332,000 won per child. By subject, English was the most expensive at 414,000 won.