[Reporter’s Notebook] Early Admission at Age 5: “Child Abuse Wrapped in Education”

Photo by Lee Jun-kyung, Honam Reporting Headquarters

These days, the issue of early admission for children aged 5 is causing nationwide controversy.

On the 29th of last month, the Ministry of Education announced a plan to reform the school system by allowing 5-year-old children to enter elementary school one year earlier.

At that time, Education Minister Park Soon-ae stated, “There is research showing that investing in education during infancy and early childhood yields 16 times more effective results compared to adulthood,” and added, “Lowering the school entry age is a declaration of the state’s commitment to ensure that socially disadvantaged children can enter public education early and study.”

This statement sparked fierce criticism from parents, educators, social organizations, kindergarten and daycare center officials, and various other sectors.

In particular, the majority of parents strongly opposed, saying, “The Ministry of Education, which does not understand child developmental stages, has completely ignored parents,” and “Do not sacrifice our children under the guise of school system reform.”

This can be interpreted as a reflection of the stress children experience due to elite education being forced upon them, ignoring their developmental stages amid excessive educational zeal. In fact, when elementary students are asked about their satisfaction with school, the most common response is “I want to go back to kindergarten.”

According to educational psychologists Freud and Erikson, age 5 corresponds to the phallic stage or the stage where initiative and guilt emerge; children at this age constantly ask questions and acquire new words and concepts.

At age 5, children’s curiosity is vigorous, and they may take apart objects or toys or exhibit uncontrolled behavior. Adults who lack understanding of children often see this as a problem and resort to corporal punishment or harsh discipline. In such cases, children feel guilt and have difficulty developing initiative. Additionally, when teachers impose social criticism and punishment on children, it can severely hinder emotional development.

Therefore, Freud interpreted ages 4 to 5 as the most critical period for personality formation. If children are required to learn beyond their abilities during this period, they may not find joy in school and could suffer lifelong feelings of inferiority and self-loathing.

Kindergarten and elementary school are fundamentally different. First, kindergartens differ greatly from elementary schools in their physical environment. Kindergarten classrooms are organized around the Nuri Curriculum with teaching materials and tools for play activities in various domains, whereas elementary school classrooms require children to sit still at small, cubicle-like desks for 40 to 50 minutes at a time.

For 5-year-olds who learned through play in five areas?physical movement and health, communication, social relationships, artistic experience, and natural exploration?being confined to cubicle desks can, if mishandled, amount to child abuse.

Professor Kim Hee-jung of Kwangshin University’s Department of Early Childhood Education pointed out, “There was a study published in 2010 showing that children who were admitted early had difficulties adapting to school after the third grade of elementary school,” and added, “Among the 20 OECD countries, only the United Kingdom has implemented early admission at age 5. On the contrary, countries like Denmark, Sweden, and Finland have raised the school entry age to 7.”

She continued, “The reason the early childhood education curriculum was revised in 2019 to focus on play was because the existing education methods were deemed insufficient for nurturing future talents,” emphasizing, “If children who need play-centered education enter elementary education, which is curriculum-centered, emotional problems may arise.”

The concentration span of 5-year-olds is difficult to exceed 20 to 30 minutes. Even teachers specialized in early childhood education often quit their jobs after their first appointment because teaching at the child’s level is challenging. Given this, it is questionable whether elementary school teachers can handle such level-appropriate education.

Moreover, daycare centers and kindergartens provide child-tailored educational services with a home-like atmosphere in care classrooms, but schools are teacher-centered, and parents strongly perceive that only low-income children use after-school care services, making it difficult for the early admission reform plan to gain public support.

If the Ministry of Education truly intends to take responsibility for children’s education, it is more reasonable to activate early childhood schools that provide education suitable for developmental stages rather than pushing for forced school system reforms. To achieve this, resolving the issue of integrating kindergarten and daycare centers and purchasing private kindergartens to convert them into public institutions should be prioritized.