Gov't bans private academies' placement tests for young children

The Korean government has announced a ban on private academies conducting placement tests for preschoolers, starting from October 1. This move is part of efforts to curb excessive early childhood private education. The ban is set to take effect under the revised Enforcement Decree of the Act on the Establishment and Operation of Private Teaching Institutes and Extracurricular Lessons, which was passed during a Cabinet meeting.

The new regulations prohibit all written, oral, practical, and interview evaluations, as well as evaluations that use test scores to grade specific abilities. However, diagnostic assessments through observation or interviews after a child has already enrolled will be allowed with prior parental consent. Violators of the new rules will face fines ranging from 1 million won ($735) for a first offense, 2 million won for a second offense, and 3 million won for third and subsequent offenses.

Brief written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.