Strong Opposition to Lowering Elementary School Entry Age... "Fails to Reflect Child Development Status"

Teachers' Organizations and Unions Urge Policy Review
"Fails to Reflect Developmental Status of 5-Year-Old Children"
Criticism for Unilateral Implementation Without Field Discussions
"May Cause Disadvantages in Entrance Exams and Employment"

On the 15th, students who are on summer vacation are leaving school at Cheonggu Elementary School in Jung-gu, Seoul. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] As the Ministry of Education announced plans to lower the elementary school entrance age by one year through a school system reform, teacher organizations and kindergarten teachers' unions strongly opposed the move.

On the 29th, the Ministry of Education revealed in the new government’s work report that it will push forward a school system reform to advance the elementary school enrollment age by one year. Starting in 2025, children aged 7 will enter elementary school. This effectively transforms President Yoon’s campaign pledge of 'full free childcare for all 5-year-olds' into a policy to lower the school entrance age. The Ministry explained that lowering the school entrance age is a measure to integrate children into the public education system earlier, while considering improvements in teaching and learning methods and the accelerated maturity of young children.

The Ministry plans to prepare a draft for the school system reform by the end of 2022 and consider conducting pilot projects in selected regions starting in 2024. Prior to this, public debates, hearings, and expert consultations will be held, and educational infrastructure such as teachers and facilities will be analyzed. The final plan will be derived through social discussions via the soon-to-be-launched National Education Committee.

Teacher unions and organizations have called for the withdrawal of the policy, criticizing it as a unilateral announcement made without social consensus.

The National Public Kindergarten Teachers' Union stated, "The K-Grade system, which advocates compulsory education for 5-year-olds, was not part of the national agenda, and it was abruptly finalized and announced without any discussion with the early childhood education academic community or field practitioners, completely ignoring the relevant field during important discussions." They added, "While the government is still struggling and causing confusion in the field with the integration of kindergartens and childcare centers, a national agenda, we strongly condemn the Ministry of Education’s policy announcement that once again pushes the early childhood education field into a dead end."

A common criticism is that lowering the school entrance age to 5 does not reflect children's developmental characteristics. According to the Korea Educational Development Institute’s report on 'Learner Life-Centered School System Reform,' among 33 European Union countries, only one country has an elementary school entrance age of 4, five countries at 5, nineteen countries at 6, and eight countries at 7.

The Korea Federation of Teachers' Associations pointed out, "This policy does not consider the developmental characteristics of young children and needs to be reconsidered." They also noted that although early elementary school admission is currently allowed based on individual choice, most do not opt for it.

The National Public Kindergarten Teachers' Union expressed concerns, saying, "Although it may seem that young children mature faster, 5-year-olds face significant developmental challenges in the elementary education system. It is questionable whether children who lose concentration after 15 to 20 minutes can sit still in a classroom for 40 minutes to 'study,' and inappropriate learning at this developmental stage will lead to early academic stress and exhaustion."

The Korea Private Kindergarten Association stated, "If 5-year-olds are integrated into elementary school, they will be deprived of the benefits of education suitable for their developmental characteristics due to inappropriate educational environments, curricula, and activities." They emphasized, "The Ministry of Education must clearly understand that entering elementary school at age 5 does not mean higher developmental levels."

Social confusion caused by the school system reform is also a reason for opposition. The Korea Federation of Teachers' Associations said, "The reform could double the number of students at a certain point, requiring a significant increase in teacher recruitment, classroom expansion, and massive financial investment, and may lead to conflicts of interest such as disadvantages in entrance exams and employment." They added, "Past governments proposed school system reforms but only caused confusion and failed each time, which must be acknowledged."

There are also criticisms that pushing the reform based on economic logic disregards the children's perspective. The National Public Kindergarten Teachers' Union criticized, "Assemblyman Ahn Cheol-soo, who proposed the 5-5-2 school system reform, argued during his candidacy that advancing children’s social entry would have an effect amid a declining working-age population, which is a distressing claim." They added, "We cannot help but suspect that this policy is not truly for the benefit of children’s education but solely driven by economic logic."

The Korea Federation of Teachers' Associations emphasized, "Difficult issues such as the integration of kindergartens and childcare centers and school system reform (lowering the school entrance age), as well as processes like 'Preparing the Future Education Vision 2040,' must fully collect and reflect the opinions of schools and teachers."

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