English kindergartens thrive despite government efforts to limit

A mother in Gyeonggi Province, Kim, is deciding whether to send her daughter, born in 2023 and turning four next year, to an English kindergarten, a play-based school, or a daycare center. She had originally planned to enroll her daughter in a play-based school next year. Although the tuition exceeds 1 million won, she considered it a valuable stepping stone before entering a five-year-old English kindergarten, as the school offers lessons in English, Korean, and other subjects.

Recently, Kim learned that several nearby play-based schools had closed. Other parents explained that the minimum age for first admission to English kindergartens had been lowered to four, prompting the closures. Both types of schools charge similar fees, but parents felt that investing in English earlier would be more beneficial. When Kim inquired at several English kindergartens, she found some that would open four-year-old classes in March of the following year. “I do not know how a child who has not even stopped wearing diapers can sit at a desk, hold a pencil, and take lessons in English,” she said.

As general kindergarten admissions approach next year, many parents of four-year-old children are debating whether to enroll them in English kindergartens. Despite South Korea’s low birth rate, information sessions for English kindergartens are crowded. This year, many parents of three-year-old children have also attended the sessions.

The Ministry of Education has formed a task force on early childhood private tutoring to curb private education, and lawmakers have proposed bills to ban level tests. Yet private English education continues to expand. A prominent English kindergarten in Gangnam, Seoul, began admitting only children aged 18 months and older from affiliated English academies after the government moved to restrict level tests.

Private tutoring aimed at helping children gain admission to English kindergartens has also emerged. Experienced mothers teach strategies for successfully enrolling children in prestigious programs. “I was anxious that my child might miss the application period while I was still deciding whether to send them to an English kindergarten," a mother-instructor said. "Parents’ information can shape a child’s future college prospects.”

Parents push for early private education for several reasons, despite government efforts to limit it. Children are developing faster, but the national Nuri Program curriculum is monotonous, and high teacher-to-student ratios make personalized education difficult. The program, designed to promote holistic child development through play, has a sound purpose, but many parents are unsatisfied in an era of abundant educational content.

Even in a low-birth-rate era, academic competition remains intense. Parents often reason that it cannot hurt for their child to start learning early. Private lessons in Korean, play-based sports, and performance art for infants are becoming increasingly common.

The Ministry of Education criticizes early childhood private education as “profiting from parental anxiety” and “harmful to children’s health.” Officials promise regulation through new laws, continuous monitoring, and administrative guidance. Yet the government must first understand why parents are willing to pay for private education for children who are still in diapers, bypassing state-supported daycare centers and kindergartens.

Among parents, a growing number believe English kindergartens teach key aspects of character and daily life more effectively than the Nuri Program. The government’s attempt to impose blanket controls on parents’ natural desire to raise their children well is misguided. If demand exists, the curriculum should adapt; otherwise, private education cannot be effectively curbed.