As the fever for medical school admissions intensifies in South Korea, lawmakers and education activists are pushing for legislation to regulate so-called “elementary med school” classes. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Oct. 1 (Korea Bizwire) – As the fever for medical school admissions intensifies in South Korea, lawmakers and education activists are pushing for legislation to regulate so-called “elementary med school” classes, where young children are taught advanced mathematics concepts typically reserved for high school or even university curricula.
On September 30, Representative Kang Kyung-sook of the Rebuilding Korea Party, along with the civic group World Without Private Education Worries, held a press conference at the National Assembly to announce the introduction of a bill aimed at curbing excessive advanced learning.
The proposed amendment to the Special Act on the Normalization of Public Education and Regulation of Prior Learning comes in response to a growing trend where elementary school students, some as young as second or third grade, are subjected to high school-level learning in preparation for future medical school admissions.
An online survey conducted by the civic group revealed that students in these specialized programs often engage in advanced learning that surpasses their grade level by an average of 4.6 years, with some cases extending up to seven years ahead of the standard curriculum.
“The current law contains only declarative provisions, which have limited the active management and supervision by local education offices,” the bill’s proponents stated.
They argued that the operation of tutoring programs in the private education sector has been left entirely to the discretion of operators, leading to a proliferation of what they term “non-educational” advanced learning products.
The proposed legislation would prohibit private educational institutions from operating curricula that exceed the national and local education guidelines for each school level.
It would also ban the use of advanced content in selection processes for learners. However, exceptions would be made for sixth-grade elementary and third-year middle school students preparing for higher education transitions.
Under the new law, education superintendents would have the authority to investigate violations and suspend operations of offending institutions for up to one year in severe cases.
Additionally, a fine of up to 3 million won could be imposed on academy operators who advertise programs that induce advanced learning.
Critics argue that such regulations could infringe on educational rights, drawing parallels to the Private Tutoring Prohibition Law that was ruled unconstitutional by the Constitutional Court in 2000.
There are also concerns about the law’s effectiveness, given the potential difficulties in clearly defining what constitutes advanced education.
Supporters of the bill, however, see it as more than just a measure to reduce overheated private education for medical school aspirants.
“This law will be a starting point for protecting children’s full right to education, which has been overlooked and ignored due to the oppressive level of advanced private education prevalent in the field,” they emphasized.
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
