Controversy Over Exclusion of Children With Disabilities... Private Elementary School Ultimately Withdraws Criteria

Discriminatory Phrase Removed from 2026 Admissions Guidelines
"Introduce Pre-Screening of Admissions Process"
Calls for Reform from Education Office

'Only children without disabilities may apply.'

A private elementary school in Gwangju has removed a phrase from its admissions requirements after controversy. The decision came amid criticism that such criteria, which exclude children with disabilities, violate the Act on the Prohibition of Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities.

The civic group 'Citizens' Coalition for an Academic-Free Society' announced on the 20th that "a private elementary school in Gwangju has deleted the discriminatory provision from its 2026 admissions plan, which had been included in the 2025 admissions guidelines." The controversial phrase stated, "Only children without learning disabilities may apply," effectively screening out children with developmental disabilities during the interview process.

Image generated by ChatGPT.

The group filed a complaint with the National Human Rights Commission in December last year, arguing that the provision violated the Act on the Prohibition of Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities. Although the commission dismissed the complaint, citing difficulty in identifying specific victims, the school subsequently removed the controversial phrase and rescheduled interviews to take place after the announcement of successful applicants.

The group criticized, "The autonomy of private schools should not be used as a means to infringe on children's rights," and added, "Education authorities should not overlook admissions processes that are conducted without public oversight."

Some regional education offices, including those in Seoul and Busan, operate a pre-screening system to ensure the fairness of private elementary school admissions. The group urged, "The Gwangju Office of Education should also introduce a pre-screening mechanism to guarantee the human rights and public nature of the admissions process." They further stated, "There must be institutional reforms to prevent arbitrary admissions processes," and emphasized, "The Gwangju Office of Education must play a substantive role in enhancing the public interest of private school admissions."