Korean Education System Roxzaville L. Guzman

Primary Education Kindergarten is optional in South Korea and most parents prefer to keep their little ones at home as long as possible. However, at age 6 their child must move on to 6 years compulsory (chodeung-hakgyo) elementary education. There they learn subjects like English, Fine Arts, Korean, Math’s, Moral Education, Music, Physical Education, Practical Arts, Science and Social Studies, usually all presented by a single teacher. Some parents send their children to private (hagwon) schools after hours, where English may be better taught.

Elementary Primary school consists of grades one to six (age 8 to age 13 in Korean years). Students learn subjects including, but not limited to: korean writing, korean listening, korean reading, korean speaking, algebra, geometry, science, social studies, korean history, fine arts, English (from the third grade), Physical Education (PE), moral education, practical arts, and music. Usually, the class teacher covers most of the subjects; however, there are some specialised teachers in professions such as physical education and foreign languages, including English. Primary schools are called Chodeung hakgyo (초등학교), meaning primary school.

Middle Education Places in secondary schools are awarded by lottery and everybody gets an equal chance. The transition to 3 years of middle school can be difficult because studies are taken far more seriously. Discipline is stricter too with uniforms, haircuts and punctuality strictly enforced. This time though, specialist teachers move between classrooms teaching core subjects, including English, Korean, Maths, as well Social Science and Pure Science. Optional programs include Art, Ethics, History, Home Economics, Music, Physical Education, Technology, and Hanja Chinese Characters.

High school High schools in South Korea teach students for three years, from first grade (age 15-17) to third grade (age 17-19), and students commonly graduate at age 18 or 19. High school students are commonly expected to study increasingly long hours each year moving toward graduation, to become competitive and be able to enter attractive universities, such as the top SKY (Seoul National, Korea, and Yonsei Universities). Many high school students wake and leave home in the morning at 5am and return home after studying well after 10 pm, then return to specialty study schools often to 2am, from Monday to Friday and also they often study on weekends. The final 3 years of school education take place at high schools. These may specialize according to subjects taught (e.g. Science versus Languages), or present more general academic curriculae. Some are state owned and some are privately run. The quality of their results is legendary. Standards are high.

As it stands, the Korean secondary system of education is highly successful in preparing students for teacher-centered education such as that often used to teach mathematics since the transfer of information is mostly one way, from teacher to student. However, this does not hold true for classroom environments where students are expected to take on self-reliant roles wherein, for the most part, active and creative personalities seem to lead to success. It is becoming ever more evident that active student use of the English language in Korean high schools is increasingly necessary for the purposes of helping the students enter top universities in Korea as well as abroad

Vocational Education Approximately 25% of middle school graduates prefer to go on to vocational schools where they are taught skills in 5 fields including Agriculture, Commerce, Fishery, Home Economics and Technology. The 1st of 3 grades follows a common program, where after students specialize. In some programs, students may participate in workplace training through co-operation between schools and local employers. The government is now piloting Vocational Meister Schools in which workplace training is an important part of the program. Around half of all vocational high schools are private.

Tertiary Education The greater majority of Korean high school students write a college scholastic ability test with a view to studying further. Standards are high and some students start preparing as early as in kindergarten years. The 5 sections of the test investigate knowledge of English, Korean and Math’s, and also elective subjects such as Social Sciences, Physical Sciences and the Humanities. At university, students encounter unfamiliar standards of excellence and whole families become involved in helping them to pass. At examination times, businesses even open for shorter hours in recognition of this fact. A student who passes though, has a qualification that meets top international standards, and of which he or she may be justifiably proud. Korea - living proof of the power of a knowledge-based economy.

Gamsahamnida 