Korean children face great academic pressure from preschool age - Photo: YONHAP NEWS
According to Maeil Business on April 25, the number of health insurance claims related to depression among Korean children has skyrocketed following the fever of the "4-year-old exam" and "7-year-old exam," which are entrance exams for English kindergartens and English academies.
This situation raises concerns about the negative impacts of excessive early learning pressure and social expectations on children's mental health, especially in the Gangnam area, which includes the three districts of Gangnam, Seocho and Songpa - the area leading Korea in terms of investment in privateeducation .
According to data received by Congresswoman Jin Sun Mi, a member of the National Assembly's Education Committee, from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA), the number of children under 9 years old living in the three districts of Gangnam, Seocho and Songpa suffering from depression and anxiety disorders has more than tripled over the past five years.
The number of health insurance claims related to mental disorders in this group of children has skyrocketed, from 1,037 in 2020 to 1,612 in 2021, 2,188 in 2022, 2,797 in 2023 and reaching 3,309 in 2024.
Accordingly, in total over the past five years, these three counties have recorded 19,943 insurance claims related to depression and anxiety disorders in children.
In 2024 alone, Songpa District recorded 1,442 cases, Gangnam District had 1,045 cases, and Seocho District had 822 cases, bringing the total to 3,309 cases.
On average, each district in this group of three districts recorded 1,103 visits, 3.8 times higher than the average of 291 visits for the entire city of Seoul.
According to Maeil Business, the number of health insurance claims for children under 9 years old in Korea also increased significantly, from 15,407 in 2020 to 32,601 in 2024, an increase of more than 2.16 times.
One of the main reasons pointed out is the intense academic pressure in this three-district area, which is known for having the highest "private education fever" in all of Korea.
By 2024, up to 25% of the number of English-language kindergartens in central Seoul will be concentrated in these three districts, Maeil Business reported.
"Children are being burdened with excessive academic stress and competitive stress at a time when they should be developing physically and emotionally," said lawmaker Jin Sun Mi about the worrying situation.
Ms. Jin also called on the Korean Ministry of Education to quickly come up with comprehensive measures, including a survey of the current state of early childhood education, to prevent negative impacts on children's mental health due to pre-school education and excessive competition.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/so-tre-em-han-quoc-bi-tram-cam-lo-au-tang-gap-ba-lan-do-ap-luc-hoc-hanh-20250426130639666.htm
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