"Everyone Learns Hangul Before Entering Elementary School"... Private Education Starts Early

Private Education Spending Hits 'Record High'
26% Spend Over 3 Million Won Annually
Backlash If Child Not Ready to Accept

“○○i reads Hangul well. How many times a week do they practice?”

Housewife Kim heard this from another parent at the apartment playground and was startled. She knew that children these days attend a lot of private education, but she did not realize they were even learning Hangul. Kim said, “I am teaching Hangul myself at home,” and added, “My child only takes soccer, art, and other physical education classes, but I am worried about what else I should have them do.”

The government has proposed measures to reduce private education expenses, but total spending has instead hit an all-time high. Especially, academies for language, math, science, art, and physical education targeting infants and toddlers are thriving.

According to a survey conducted by the organization No Private Education Worries on January 16?20 this year targeting 209 parents of first graders nationwide, 64.8% of students enter school having already learned Hangul. The main reasons for teaching Hangul beforehand (multiple answers allowed) were “because I think the curriculum is operated on the assumption that students know Hangul at school (61.2%),” “because most other children know Hangul (32.1%),” and “because it is a basic tool for other studies (32.1%).” This suggests that the excessive entrance exam competition in our society is affecting even preschool children.

In fact, Park, who lives in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, spends about 400,000 KRW per month on private education for his 4-year-old child. Park said, “One academy costs about 100,000 to 200,000 KRW per week. Since all children attend academies, there is no choice but to have my child socialize with them.” He added, “Soccer costs 90,000 KRW, home art lessons 160,000 KRW, and swimming 170,000 KRW. Recently, another mother suggested joining a science class together, so I am considering it.”

Early private education for infants and toddlers has become routine. A survey last year of 11,000 parents of first graders nationwide showed that 65.6% of respondents used private education before school admission, and half of them enrolled their children in three or more subjects. Among 5-year-old children attending private education, 49.2% took three or more subjects annually, and 11.1% received private education in five or more subjects. Among the group that enrolled in three or more subjects, 67.2% had a monthly average income of over 10 million KRW, while 34.5% of the group earning less than 2 million KRW did so. Responses indicating annual private education expenses exceeding 3 million KRW reached 26%.

Professor Park Nam-gi of the Department of Education at Gwangju National University of Education pointed out, “Parents who are financially well-off start first, and other parents feel they will fall behind if they do not follow. The effects can be good or bad depending on the child’s characteristics. If the child is not at a stage to absorb it, they will feel stressed and it will have the opposite effect.”

He added, “Excessive private education is a social problem, but the state cannot stop parents. Rather, the key issue is the parents and children who cannot afford private education and feel deprived. We need to consider how to support them so that no one is left out.”