Confusion Grows Over "Academy Ban"... What Will Parents Sending Young Children Do?

Should I Send My Child to Hagwon or Not?
Excluding College Prep and Vocational Training Is Not Allowed
Confusion Grows Among Hagwons and Parents

Daechi-dong Academy District, Gangnam-gu, Seoul / Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] A notable quarantine rule in the 2.5-level social distancing measures applied from the 8th in the Seoul metropolitan area is the prohibition of gatherings at academies and private tutoring centers. Originally, under level 2.5, operations were allowed if quarantine rules such as stopping operations after 9 p.m., one person per 8㎡ or leaving two seats empty, and banning food consumption were followed.

However, for the next three weeks, except for a very limited number of cases such as college entrance exam preparation or vocational training, attending academies will be prohibited. This 'pinpoint' measure was taken because the risk was judged to be high, but since many academies serve as childcare for preschool children or young kids, the burden on parents is expected to increase significantly.

The problem is that confusion is increasing among frontline academies and parents due to the application of measures different from the originally announced step-by-step quarantine rules. An academy in Seoul informed parents on the 7th, a day after the government announcement, that operation was possible by applying the existing 2.5-level quarantine rules. When searching on portal sites, the quarantine rules by facility according to the distancing level released by the government last month appear, so frequently changing information is not delivered in a timely manner.

There are also criticisms that the care gap for dual-income couples has been overlooked. Most private kindergartens or English kindergartens are registered as academies, so children cannot be entrusted immediately. Many families with elementary or middle school students rely on academies for childcare while parents work. The government decided to conduct intensive on-site inspections starting from the 8th without considering these points.

According to the quarantine authorities, about 129,000 facilities in the metropolitan area are subject to gathering bans under the current 2.5-level quarantine measures. Among them, academies account for about 63,065, nearly half.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.