Seoul English Kindergartens Surge Despite COVID-19... Tuition Fees Up to 2.65 Million KRW per Month

A Total of 311 Locations, 17 More Than Last Year... 86 in Gangnam and Seocho Districts
Average Daily Training Time 4 Hours 51 Minutes

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[Asia Economy Reporter Yoon Seul-gi] Despite COVID-19, the number of English academies for young children, so-called 'English kindergartens,' has increased. The average monthly tuition fee for English kindergartens was about 1.12 million KRW, with the most expensive reaching approximately 2.65 million KRW.

According to an analysis by the education civic group "Sagokse" (No Private Education Worries) based on the 'Seoul City Academy and Tutoring Center Registration Information,' the number of half-day English academies for young children in Seoul in 2021 increased by 17 from the previous year, totaling 311, the group announced on the 20th.

English kindergartens were most concentrated in Gangnam and Seocho districts, known as private education hotspots, with 86 academies, followed by Gangdong and Songpa districts with 54. Next were Eunpyeong, Seodaemun, and Mapo districts (30), Gangseo and Yangcheon districts (29), and Seongdong and Gwangjin districts (28), respectively.

The average monthly tuition fee rose by 2.8 percentage points from the previous year to 1,126,000 KRW. When annualized, this amounts to about 13.51 million KRW, nearly twice the tuition fee of a four-year university (6.73 million KRW).

The highest tuition fee was recorded at 'Butler Language Academy' in Dongjak district. The monthly tuition fee there was 2,649,000 KRW, which, when annualized, is 4.7 times the university tuition fee. The second highest was 'Gate Daechi Language Academy' in Gangnam district, charging 2,627,000 KRW.

The average daily instruction time at English academies for young children was 4 hours and 51 minutes, which is 1 hour and 31 minutes longer than the 3 hours and 20 minutes of classes for first and second graders in elementary school.

Sagokse stated, "Currently, the Nuri Curriculum operates for 4 to 5 hours a day, mostly focusing on child-centered play and activities. However, English kindergartens mostly involve long-term learning of reading, writing, and speaking in English," adding, "This does not consider the developmental stages of young children and is likely to hinder healthy growth."

They continued, "It is urgent to comprehensively improve the NICE academy information registration system to accurately grasp the actual conditions of English academies for young children and to establish measures to encourage academy founders to report accurate information," and argued, "A legal amendment to guarantee the developmental rights of infants and toddlers, ensuring their right to play and regulating excessive private education for young children, should also be promptly enacted."

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