Figure 1.--These South Korean children in 2010 attend a modern, well-equipped classroom. Notice British-style blazer uniform the students wear. |
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Almost all Korean children schools go to public scools. There is little tradition of private education in Kprea. Almost all Korean children schools go to public scools. South Korea has an excellent public school system. We have little information on historic Korean schools. We do not know about Korean schools in the early 20th century. We think several schools were founded by Western missionaries. The Japanese seized control of Korea (1909). We believe that they expanded the scgool system, but required that the language of instruction be Japanese. After World War II the Koreans continued to attach great importance to education. It was not until the 1970s, however, that the expanding Korean economy priovided the revenue to sdequately support a first-class educational system. There is a strong tradition of egalitarianism that runs through public education.
Almost all Korean children schools go to public scools. South Korea has an excellent public school system. We have little information on historic Korean schools. We do not know about Korean schools in the early 20th century. We think several schools were founded by Western missionaries. The Japanese seized control of Korea (1909). We believe that they expanded the scgool system, but required that the language of instruction be Japanese. After World War II the Koreans continued to attach great importance to education. It was not until the 1970s, however, that the expanding Korean economy priovided the revenue to sdequately support a first-class educational system. There is a strong tradition of egalitarianism that runs through public education. Students from the 1970s and 80s tell of kids wearing expensive clothes being singled out and pubically scolded in the classroom. In addition, students were not allowed to bring "pure" rice in their lunch boxes. Their mothers had to mix the rice with a cheaper variety because some of the children could not afford the more expensive quality rice. Teachers would open lunch boxes and punish the children bring the ofending rice. The reason was that teachers did not want the poorer children to feel bad. There is little tradition of private education in Korea. The Korean Government since the 1980s has been virtually waging war against any education conducted outside the public school system. The Government has been pursuing and procecuting parents and teachers for private tutoring. Many have been fined and a few even jailed as examples. In the 1990s the Korean Government devoted a lot of effort to even prosecute private tutors--in many cases foreigners teaching English, but many Korean citizens were also priceduted. The police pursuing such teachers were dubbed "the language police".
Korea's military leader Chun Doo Hwan in 1980 immediately banned private teaching (kwawoe). While this may sound draconian to American parents who pay for private schools, tutoring, and summer camps, the goals were to ensure equalize educational opportunity and relieve parents of thecostof private tutoring--which not all could afford. The ban continued and until recently was rigorously enforced. It was finally endded in 2000 when the Korean Constitutional Court struck it down as unconstitutional because it "infringes upon the basic right of the people to educate their children'.
The bureacratic resistance to kwawoe has not ended. Now the Government has threanted to prosecute anyone charging too much for private education. In a Korean version og Catch 22, however, the Government has not specified how much is too much. An incredible number of agencies and officials have taken up the crusade. The Ministrybof Education, tax officials at different levels, police agencies, and policy makers have threatened to release te name of teachers who offer expensive private tutoring. Tax officials threatened to audit the taxes of wealthy parents. Eve reformist President Kim Dae Jung has ordered the Ninistry of Education to work with the National Tax Office and other agencies to prosecute anyone over charging for private tutoring.
The desire of parents to futher their children's education as well as the Government's desire to promote education has caused it to relax its policies. Tutoring by college students was permitted in 1999. Middle anf high school children were allowed to tke extrcurricular courses at authorized private facilities (hagwon) in 1991. Tutoring by graduate students were allowed in 1996.
One might wonder what the concern about spending small amounts for tutiors is all about. In fact, even though it is illegal, estimates suggest very large amounts of money are involved. Korea's economic boom began in the 1970s and soon parents began spending large amounts of money on private tutoring. One estimarte suggested that parents in 1996 were spending $25 billion on private education--50 percent more than the Government's education budget. The proprtion of Korean students taking private tuition has increased from 13-26 percent in 1980 to 50-70 percent in 1997. Some Korean parents are so unhappy with Korean education and educational policies that they are educating their childrebn abroad. The Korean Government estimated that 150,000 Koreans studied abroad in 1998. While most were university students, this included 10,700 primary and secondary students.
The new Minister for Education continues to try to put an end to kwawoe, which parents now regard as necessary for their children to prepare for the college entrance examination. The estimated overall cost for such classes in 1997 was placed at around 10 to 20 trillion Won annually or approximately 2.8 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP). A number of high profile figures, including the President of Seoul National University, have recently been caught paying for private lessons for their children at a cost of tens of millions of Won. The President of Seoul National University resigned over the incident as it is an issue causing much concern at present.
Instrumental changes have occurred to the university admission procedures to reduce
the need for private tutoring. By 2002, 50% of students at Korea's most prestigious
higher education institution, Seoul National University, will be selected not just by
achieving high scores on the annual Academic Aptitude Test but through
recommendations provided by the School Principal to ensure the students are
well-rounded. It is expected other leading institutions will also establish similar
selection criteria.
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