What Is South Korea Doing Right?
Culturally, South Koreans are very invested in education. They have a lot riding on it. Everything from their social status to their marriage prospects to their job is determined by where they went to college. And parents are judged based on what universities their kids get into too. So it goes without saying that parents and students are highly motivated when it comes to school.
South Korean parents spend more on education (15% of their gross national product) than any other nation. Some parents drop close to 25% of their income on education, tutoring and supplemental educational materials. And most parents send their kids to extra private school after their regular school day. “South Korean students go to school from nine a.m. to five p.m. and then they go to Hagwons (private schools for extra class) from five p.m. until ten at night,” said Stacey Bremner, a South African teacher who taught in South Korea. “They only really start their school homework once they get back from private schooling or extra lessons.” And to think kids in the US complain about how much schoolwork they have!
Teachers in South Korea are another major factor in the students’ success. South Korean teachers go above and beyond. “Korean teachers don’t just do what is expected of them,” said Ms. Bremner. “They are extremely dedicated to their jobs. They work very hard and make a huge effort.” And society rewards them for it. Teachers in South Korea enjoy high social status, are paid very well and have great job security. No wonder teaching is the top career choice for young Korean’s these days. But it’s not an easy gig to get. Only 5% of hopefuls are accepted into the elementary school teacher-training program. And once they get a teaching job, not many people give it up. Only 1% leaves the field every year.
The Korean Ministry of Education works hard to make sure all of their country’s schools are tops as well. In 2008, they made several changes in an attempt to close the gap between kids in high-achieving urban schools and lower-achieving rural schools. They offered financial support to all middle school students, subsidized computers, offered meals and opened more schools in rural areas to make them more accessible.
South Korea is very savvy when it comes to leveraging technology to improve their schools. They topped PISA’s digital literacy test in 2009, proving that when it comes to computers, their kids are on the ball. Every school in South Korea has high-speed internet. They also have digital textbooks to make learning materials more accessible, especially to lower income students. By 2015, they plan to go 100% digital and have all textbooks in all of their schools accessible from a computer, tablet or phone. The Ministry of Education has also recently created a Cyber Home Learning System, an online program designed to help kids with their after-school learning.
Unlike in Finland, South Korean schools have a lot of tests. And they are taken very seriously. Life in the country virtually grinds to a halt during the yearly college entrance exam. Offices open late, planes aren’t allowed to fly over test sites and parents and grandparents pray while their kids sit for the exams. “There is a lot of pressure for the kids to do well on the big entrance exam at the end of high school,” said Ms. Bremner. Their future depends on it.
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Subject: Let's Learn From South Korean Education System 
