Tests for recruitment, ability-based class placement to be prohibited

Observation and interviews allowed, but scores and rankings banned

Starting next month, hagwon and other private tutoring providers will be banned from administering tests to select or sort young children into ability-based classes. Pictured is a recruitment banner hanging outside an English-language kindergarten — a hagwon targeting preschool-age children — in Songpa-gu, Seoul. [Yonhap]
Starting next month, hagwon and other private tutoring providers will be banned from administering tests to select or sort young children into ability-based classes. Pictured is a recruitment banner hanging outside an English-language kindergarten — a hagwon targeting preschool-age children — in Songpa-gu, Seoul. [Yonhap]

Starting next month, hagwon and other private tutoring providers will be banned from administering tests to select young children or sort them into ability-based classes. The prohibition covers not only written exams and interviews but also assessments that draw on prior test results or credentials to evaluate specific abilities. Violations will carry fines of up to 3 million won ($2,170).

The Ministry of Education said Tuesday that the Cabinet approved an amendment to the enforcement decree of the Act on the Establishment and Operation of Hagwon and Private Tutoring. The revision follows an earlier amendment to the Hagwon Act that banned tests used to recruit or place young children in tiered classes. The amended decree takes effect Oct. 1.

The revision spells out the specific scope of the ban on so-called "four-year-old and seven-year-old entrance exams" — a term used to describe the competitive selection tests that some hagwon impose on toddlers and preschoolers. Hagwon operators, private tutoring center operators and individual tutors will be prohibited from conducting written, oral, practical or interview-style tests or assessments for the purpose of recruiting young children or assigning them to ability-based classes.

Even where no direct test is administered, using prior test results or credentials to evaluate a child's specific abilities will also be banned. Assessments that rank children by ability level for the purpose of recruitment or class placement are likewise prohibited.

However, observation- and interview-based diagnostic assessments conducted after a child has already enrolled at a hagwon or begun private tutoring — and aimed at supporting the child's learning — will be permitted as an exception.

Even in those cases, providers must inform parents of the purpose and method of the assessment and the educational support to be offered based on the results, and must obtain prior written or electronic consent. Assessments must be conducted during regular instruction. Results must be written in a descriptive format covering the child's learning progress and areas requiring support. Scores, rankings and pass-or-fail determinations may not be recorded.

The amendment also establishes a tiered fine structure for violations. Providers found to have administered tests or assessments for the purpose of recruiting young children or sorting them into ability-based classes will face a fine of 1 million won for a first offense, 2 million won for a second and 3 million won for a third. The revision also creates a legal basis for paying rewards, within budgetary limits, to those who report violations.

Reporting requirements will also apply to individual tutors and tutoring centers that work with young children. As of Oct. 1, young children will be included in the scope of private tutoring regulated under the Hagwon Act, meaning individual tutors and tutoring center operators who teach young children must register with their local education office. The ministry said it plans to provide guidance on registration procedures to minimize confusion as the new rules take effect.

Education Minister Choi Kyo-jin said the amendment "lays the groundwork for blocking extreme forms of private tutoring for infants and toddlers — such as the four-year-old and seven-year-old entrance exams — and for building a society where young children can grow up healthy." He added that the ministry "will continue working to ensure our children can grow up healthy and happy."


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