'Ban on Level Tests for 4-Year-Olds' to Take Effect in October: All Written, Oral, and Interview Assessments Prohibited

▲ Ministry of Education

As the law prohibiting so-called level tests for young children at private academies is set to take effect in October, the Ministry of Education has established specific criteria for the prohibited activities.

The Ministry of Education announced today, July 7, that it is pre-announcing the proposed enforcement decree of the Act on the Establishment and Operation of Private Teaching Institutes and Extracurricular Lessons.

The core of this bill is to prevent private academy operators and others from conducting tests or evaluations on young children for the purpose of recruitment or grouping by proficiency level.

Violations will result in penalties such as business suspension or fines.

The enforcement decree serves as a follow-up measure to implement the law, detailing the specific activities that are prohibited.

The ban covers not only written, oral, interview, and practical tests, but also equivalent performance-based assessments such as problem-solving, assignment completion, and presentations, as well as the act of requesting and utilizing report cards or certificates from external institutions.

However, diagnostic assessments conducted through observation, conversation, or counseling after a child has already enrolled in an academy or begun private tutoring are permitted as an exception.

In such cases, prior consent from the guardian is mandatory.

To ensure the effectiveness of the regulations, strong sanctions have been established, including the provision of rewards for reporting violations and criteria for imposing fines.

A legal basis has been established to provide rewards, within the limits of the budget, to individuals who report acts of conducting tests or evaluations on young children for the purpose of recruitment or class placement in violation of the law.

Furthermore, fines will be imposed based on the number of violations: 1 million won for the first offense, 2 million won for the second, and 3 million won for the third.

The Ministry of Education plans to amend and promulgate the enforcement decree in time for the law to take effect on October 1.

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