Toddlers cramming for English tests: Time for a legal ban?
A legislative proposal seeking to ban intensive early English education for toddlers and cap lesson hours for young children was submitted to South Korea's National Assembly on Wednesday, amid a continued frenzy over English-language preschools.
The bill, introduced by Rep. Kang Kyung-sook of the minor Rebuilding Korea Party, proposes banning private English instruction for children under 36 months and limiting lessons for those aged 3 and older to 40 minutes per day. Violators could face penalties such as suspension of business or revocation of business licenses.
'Early childhood is a stage when children naturally learn through play and grow both physically and mentally,' states the bill, which seeks to amend the current law regulating the private education industry. 'Private education at this stage not only yields limited educational benefits relative to its excessive cost, time and difficulty, but also raises concerns about potential violations of young children's rights. Prompt policy reform is urgently needed.'
While private English academies, commonly known as English kindergartens, have long catered to parents seeking early exposure to English for their children, the latest legislative move comes amid an intensifying race to gain admission to elite educational programs.
Children typically enter English kindergartens around the age of 4 or 5, but industry sources say more parents are now enrolling children as young as 3 in preparation courses to boost their chances of acceptance. This trend is especially pronounced in areas like Seoul's Gangnam district, known for its high concentration of private academies.
One famous English kindergarten with three branches in Gangnam requires prospective students as young as 3 years old to take an entrance exam. The test includes tasks such as identifying the correct English spelling of pictured objects and describing images in full English sentences.
The trend of early English education is spreading beyond Gangnam, according to a joint survey released on June 10 by the Rebuilding Korea Party and the civic group World Without Worries About Private Education.
Last year, private academies in five cities across Gyeonggi Province — Goyang, Anyang, Seongnam, Yongin and Hwaseong — offered 376 English classes for toddlers, an increase of 101 from 275 classes the previous year.
The average daily lesson time at these institutions was five hours and eight minutes, nearly two hours longer than the three hours and 20 minutes received by first and second graders in elementary school in 2024.
However, a separate survey conducted by the World Without Worries About Private Education showed that nine out of 10 daycare and kindergarten teachers nationwide are skeptical about English education for young children.
Of the 1,733 respondents, 87.7 percent said English instruction offered by institutions such as English kindergartens was "unnecessary."
When asked to identify the most serious issue with early English learning, 63.5 percent pointed to "caregivers demanding academic performance from children without considering their developmental stage."
As for potential solutions, 65.6 percent supported "expanding public education," while 62.7 percent called for "reforms to the entrance exam-oriented education system." Other suggestions included "enhancing parental guidance on early development (57.6 percent)" and "regulating academies targeting young learners (50.7 percent)."
Regarding the appropriate starting age for private education, 49 percent answered that it should begin after entering elementary school, followed by age 5 (30.5 percent) and age 4 (11.9 percent).
Meanwhile, some parents claim that restricting private education constitutes an excessive violation of their personal freedoms.
'For children who are naturally gifted in languages, whether it's Korean or English, English kindergartens can provide a great learning environment. Dismissing them altogether without considering individual differences could ultimately harm a child's future,' Bu Dae-hye, a 35-year-old office worker in Seoul whose 3-year-old son attends an English kindergarten in Bundang, Gyeonggi Province, told The Korea Herald.
"Parents know their children best, and making the right educational choices for them should be a given. Regulating that through law doesn't align with the principles of a democratic society."
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