Gov't bans private academies' placement tests for young children
Private academies will be prohibited from conducting placement tests for preschoolers starting next month, the education ministry said Tuesday, as part of efforts to curb severe forms of early childhood private education. The ban will take effect Oct. 1 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 same day. Under the revision, all written, oral, practical and interview evaluations will be prohibited, as well as any evaluations utilizing test scores to grade specific abilities. As an exception, however, diagnostic assessments through observation or interviews after a child has already enrolled will be permitted with prior parental consent. The revision also calls for fines on violators of 1 million won ($735) for a first offense, 2 million won for a second offense, and 3 million won for third and subsequent offenses.
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