"Failed for Knowing Addition and Subtraction"... 'Special Class' Admission Harder Than College Entrance [Isolated Island Within the Borderline]

②Struggle to Designate Special Education Candidates
Multiple Attempts Without Medical Records
Loss of Interest in Repetitive Special Education
Need to Establish Vocational and Customized Education

"Even college entrance exams are probably less difficult than this"

#Parent Choi Ju-hyung (56, pseudonym) went through an entrance exam battle ahead of his daughter Lee So-jin's (15, pseudonym) middle school admission. It was to enroll her in a special class set up at a municipal middle school. The process of being designated as a special education recipient was arduous. Choi attached documents showing that Lee had undergone a year of art and psychological therapy at her own expense and also included a diagnosis stating she suffers from dyslexia. The documents were reviewed by a total of seven officials, including the person in charge at the Special Education Support Center. Even after being designated as a recipient, Choi could not relax because the maximum class size was six students, making it likely that her turn would be delayed.

The above photo is unrelated to the article content. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Parents of slow learners face a crossroads between special education and general education before and after their children enter middle and high school. For them, special classes serve as a safety net to protect their adolescent children from school violence and academic gaps. However, even after entering special classes, the education level often does not match their expectations, causing problems during career exploration.

Eliminated for being able to perform basic arithmetic... Designation as a special education recipient is like catching a star from the sky

Parents of school-age slow learners approach the designation process for special education recipients with relentless determination. Slow learners do not qualify as intellectually disabled, making it difficult to be designated as special education recipients. However, there are cases where recipients are designated based on comprehensive symptoms such as dyslexia and learning disabilities, so parents repeatedly challenge the system as if clinging to a lifeline.

Parent Kang Ju-hwa (42, pseudonym) also visited the Special Education Support Center last year holding the hand of her daughter Choi Yu-mi (14, pseudonym). Yu-mi had an IQ of 66 in fourth grade but improved to the low 80s within two years thanks to Kang’s homeschooling, leading to a diagnosis as a slow learner.

However, the Special Education Support Center judged that Yu-mi did not qualify as a special education recipient because she could perform fractions and basic arithmetic. The fact that Yu-mi had difficulty applying basic arithmetic in daily life was not taken into consideration. Kang felt devastated. She felt as if she had become a criminal after studying the entire elementary education curriculum just to teach her daughter addition.

Kang said, "The tears I shed to raise her IQ from 66 to 80 form a river," and added, "I will try again next year and the year after."

Even if they want vocational education... focus on self-reliance education like 'boiling eggs'

Even after successfully entering a special class, it is too early to feel relieved. They face the problem of academic level gaps. If general education is mainly focused on college entrance exam preparation and is hard to keep up with, special education focuses on self-reliance, which slow learners find boring.

Lee So-jin, Choi’s daughter, also lost much interest in school after receiving special education upon entering middle school. The class focused on basic self-reliance education such as how to use kiosks, boil eggs, and manage toileting. For Lee, who can prepare meals and make payments independently, these were not new topics.

Another problem arose in that she could no longer receive vocational education after entering the special class. Since slow learners face significant limitations in college admission, they need vocational education for self-reliance. However, municipal and public middle and high schools operate career education programs centered on general class students, excluding special class students from activities. Lee was unable to participate in on-campus vocational experiences because she was not part of a general class. She was also rejected from joining school clubs.

Worrying about these issues, sending children to general classes also leads to other difficulties. Jang Min-young (51, pseudonym), living in Jungnang-gu, Seoul, enrolled her son Park Seong-hoon (18, pseudonym), a high school senior, in a general high school in Nowon-gu. Jang considered enrolling Park in a specialized high school’s culinary department because he wanted to become a chef but turned back at the hurdle of obtaining certification.

However, Jang deeply questioned whether her choice was right. She lamented that Park just sat in class without understanding the content. Jang said, "Since he couldn’t keep up with college entrance exam preparation classes, I saw him stare at the blackboard like it was a wall for 10 hours," adding, "It’s practically like wall meditation training."

Kim Mo-gun (18), a slow learner, is auditing a writing class at a learning center for slow learners. [Image source=Slow Learners Citizens Association]

Education not matching intellectual level... leading to loss of academic interest

Experts emphasize the need for customized education suited to the level of slow learners. General classes focus on critical thinking education, while special education emphasizes repetitive learning. Slow learners can achieve significant intelligence improvement when both approaches are combined.

Song Yeon-sook, director of the Slow Learners Citizens’ Association, explained, "Slow learners lose interest in academics if they receive repetitive, special education-style classes," and added, "To improve critical thinking, the problems and lesson content must be continuously varied."

She also stressed the need for changes in the education system for slow learners. She said, "Parents feel limits after chasing homeschooling and various therapies suited to their children, falling into deep economic and emotional despair," and emphasized, "Public education must also establish slow learner-tailored education that can capture both critical thinking improvement and repetitive mastery."

Editor's NoteThere are people living on a remote island called "slow learners." According to expert estimates, about 1 in 10 people (13.6%) in the general population fall into this category based on the normal distribution of IQ scores. Their journey to adulthood is arduous. From the first diagnosis in infancy and early childhood to finding a career and achieving independence, every step is a struggle for survival. Parents bear the burden of monthly therapy costs amounting to millions of won to prevent their children from falling out of society, personally seeking out friendships and jobs. Recently, many local governments have enacted support ordinances, but these often remain superficial or are limited to adolescent support. Asia Economy met with six parents of slow learner children in infancy and youth to examine the problems they face and seek solutions.