By Deva Lee
On Monday mornings, I always ask my students how their weekend was. I expect tales of teenage parties and perhaps a family picnic, but am usually disappointed. Most of the time they tell me they did not have a good weekend, and that they are tired and sad. “Why?” I ask, remembering how much fun I had on my weekends when I was in high school. “Study only,” they tell me.
Despite the fact that 2012 marked the first year that all South Korean schools were required to close on Saturdays, all senior students come to school on Saturdays to self study and some younger students attend various after school classes or self-study sessions. For instance, I teach a voluntary English lesson on a Saturday for two hours. In addition, many of my students attend private academies known as Hagwons on both Saturdays and Sundays.
Before coming to teach in South Korea, I was aware that academic education was a national obsession. I was told that most students attended at least two different educational institutions each day, and that competition for university entrance was rife. Nonetheless, when I learned that my school was building a dormitory so that students could stay overnight and spend more time studying, I was surprised. It became clear to me that this obsession was more pervasive and unhealthy than I had previously imagined.
My students often ask me what time students in South Africa finish school. When I tell them that students in South Africa leave school at about 2pm each day, they explode in a series of laments. “I envy them,” some tell me. Most of the students at my high school are at school for 13 hours a day. Classes end at 4pm and then students are required to self-study until 9pm under the supervision of a teacher. The senior students, who are under more pressure to perform in their university entrance exam, are at school until around 11pm. Students eat both lunch and supper at the school.
The self-study hall at my high school, where students spend about five hours studying every day.
Beware the Hagwon
Some students leave school after their last class to attend Hagwons, which specialise in teaching certain subjects. Until 2009, when a law made it illegal for Hagwons to teach after 10pm, some remained open until around midnight. Since Hagwons teach from early in the afternoon, some students, middle school students in particular, leave school early and skip supper to ensure that they attend their Hagwon for a certain length of time. Sometimes Hagwons give the students sweets or snacks, but this is not standard practice. And they definitely don’t serve supper.
The definition of success
From a statistical perspective, South Korea’s focus on education has certainly produced its desired results. As data compiled by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) shows, South Korean students score way above the OECD average in both reading and mathematics. While the country is benefiting economically from its education system (South Korea has one of the fastest growing economies and is currently ranked as the 13th largest economy globally), the side effects are manifold. According to 2011 data, Korean students were ranked as the unhappiest amongst the OECD countries. As some of the interviews in an upcoming documentary by Kelley Katzenmeyer show, students are aware that the problem is systemic but don’t feel they have the power to combat the expectations that Korean society places on them.[1] Considering the extremely high teen suicide rate in Korea, which has been the topic of many a news article in the last five years, the Korean education system should be doing more to address students’ emotional and physical wellbeing.[2]
Working hard rather than smart
I often think that the fixation on academic excellence here is, ironically, detrimental to Korean students’ overall education. My students are often too tired to concentrate in class and they have very little time for homework. In addition, they are not provided with any time to develop independent learning skills. Without time to process and apply the bulk of information that is being taught, I doubt they understand much of what they are learning. While they are able to memorise them very quickly, my students often don’t understand the English phrases and words that I teach them. Here, knowledge is defined as a set of memorised facts, with little emphasis on creative thinking or a holistic approach to education.[3] My school seems to be better than others in this regard: physical education and home economics feature regularly in the timetable.
While the Hagwon crackdown and elimination of Saturday school is evidence that the Korean government has begun to implement change, the issue is compounded by the role of both schools and parents. If schools don’t provide self-study facilities and extra academic classes, it will affect their reputation in the eyes of parents. Similarly, parents who want to raise their children in a manner that deviates from the status quo often feel as though they are limiting their children’s ability to compete with other students at their level. It seems that all involved have tied their hands to the same stake and major policy reform is necessary to enact the change that governments, parents and students are hoping for.
As a tiny cog in the system, I find it difficult to combat these issues in my own classroom. I never give homework and all my after school classes are focused on popular culture and language games in the hope that I can provide a break from their rigorous academic schedule. That said, I often question the value of English (and thus my role) in their lives. What has unquestionable value in the life of any growing person, I would argue, is the imagination, and enough free time to use it.
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[1] Katzenmeyer’s documentary investigates South Korean youth culture in public high schools, including the effects of Korea’s education mania. You can pledge to see the film here.
[2] For a perspective on the Korean education system from a high school student in my city, Daegu, see here.
[3] There are alternative schools in existence that deviate from the national curriculum, but attendance at such schools is not an option for most South Korean students.
Deva Lee is a South African currently working as an English teacher in South Korea. Visit her blog here.
With both its drawbacks and advantages your insight into the world of Korean education is fascinating, particularly when viewed in contrast to South Africa’s Education System….world’s apart in so many ways. A great positive in Korea is both the government and parents commitment to the value of education, something sadly lacking here at home.
Excellent piece, Deva. Well-written and researched.
If you think that education is an obession for South Koreans, then you clearly haven’t tried playing StarCraft against one.
I did and was toasted 34 minutes later….
@Michelle: Thank you, I appreciate the compliment from a fellow journo!
@Brad: I agree – in many ways the South African education system falls on the opposite end of the spectrum. Many South Africans would agree that most of our social problems are rooted in a history of failed education systems, and yet SA has made no consistent and thorough developments in this area. This article on the impoverished school in Mkanzini, Eastern Cape, the Times Live today proves that (http://www.timeslive.co.za/thetimes/2012/06/11/school-of-disgrace). I often feel as though both countries need a system that is more akin to Norway’s – though, of course, each country needs a system that is appropriate for its local context.
Similar to hong kong… To much pressure on these poor kids and they look so miserable… They get to the workplace with 1 or 2 degrees and very little idea on how to adapt to the working environment.. Needs a healthy balance where free thought and social interaction is combined..
@Lennon: was about to mention the correlation of Starcraft and Koreans – suprised you lasted that long! After witnessing the absolute domination of South Korea in the world of e-sports, this comes as no surprise. This kind of learning translates into mechanical perfection … Interestingly it is commonly accepted that new strategies rarely originate in Korea, instead usually appearing in Europe. They are perfected in Korea rather than made there, which ties in with the lack of creative thinking.
I also feel pity for the teachers. Do they have time for their families?
It’s like that in most Asian countries. They are pressurised to study hard, and get into the best schools, graduate with a noteworthy degree, have a nice job title, earn high figures. I think superficiality is the biggest problem. Students are driven by expectation.
There is hardly time for a social life, or to learn any hobbies. Many kids learn a classical instrument at a young age (again, superficial) and stop when they get to middle school to prepare for exams.
Shocking hours that they attend school and study, I thought it was bad in Morocco cause Zinedeen from 2 and a half years old attends school from 8.30am to 11.30 then goes back to school in the afternoons from 2.30 until 5.30pm so a long day for a small boy, I think, altho the curriculum is very lax. The parents also get homework to do with the kids on the weekends and from 6 years old some of the kids attend school on a Saturday, usually extra french lessons. Kids need to be able to HAVE and enjoy a childhood and even tho you are talking about older kids, they need time for FUN too! It’s shocking and ridiculous and you have done well to highlight this very real problem. I hope that change for these poor kids will be on the agenda soon. Keep up the good work Deva Lee!!
yeh it’s crazy alright. But are they actually spending all those hours doing quality study? I think a lot of people are looking at the waking/sleeping times & crying “oh, too much study!” but in between there’s an awful lot of soccer, lunch, between-class breaks, & general not-studying if they don’t feel like it.
Western schools get let out early. If it were cheap enough (like it is here) my Western parents would’ve also sent me to tuition everyday. In a way I’m jealous of the Koreans. I think they do too much, but there’s one good thing – that the opportunity exists. Anyway, instead, I’d go home, do my homework & chores, eat dinner, then study for 4 hours. I think the time I spent studying was at a higher quality than some of these kids who sleep in my classes and then complain about how much ‘study’ they do.
also the suicide rate might be affected by the stress of school exams, but whilst that kind of stress is higher here than elsewhere, it’s not likely to be the reason for the high suicide rate. Korea also has one of the lowest socialising ability rankings (I don’t know what kind of article this was, I heard it from a friend) but I can see areas where some of the socialising leaves people outcast and miserable. But it’s not deemed inappropriate. I can imagine that would affect suicide rates in all areas of life in Korea. There’s also an impact from honor of ur family. & famos people not wanting to live down a scandal also lead others to suicide (called…
We had a kid from there staying her when on a Rotary exchange. No coping skills whatever and no interest at all in joining in. All she wanted to do was sit on Mixit and the Internet which, in the days of dial-up, was difficult, especially since I work from home and we were all taking turns.
@ Stephen Browne: Considering the fact that he owned 7 out of the 8 resource patches and attacked me with his SCV’s late in the game, I’d say he was just toying with me.
The thing with SK’s is that they don’t necessarily play like us. Most Westerners play StarCraft like a game of chess whereas those from the East play it like a game of Go in addition to perfecting common strategies and whose keyboard usage is impossible to follow (these guys flip through shorcuts faster than most can type “Hello”).
It was the Go strategy which helped the Vienamese beat the crap out of the French, Aussies and Americans during the Vietnam War.
@Lennon: I guess Go is a good analogy – simply playing on percentage chance, always making the statistically most winning move. Their ability to memorize a staggering number of situations means they are simply going to make the correct choice more often. That and their ridiculous Asian fingers ^_^
@Lennon: Meant to ask if you are following DGL/Polarfluke – South African e-sportsmen unite
@Emru: Most teachers at my school work until between 4.30 and 6.30, and then a few remain at the school to supervise the learners, which they do on a rotation basis. The students, however, are limited to a only a couple of hours a day with their families and most don’t share meals with their families at all. Considering South Korea’s extreme work ethic (which is another issue entirely), most parents are working the same hours that the students are learning. Family time is not a priority.
@Lightmare: Indeed, superficiality or a prioritising of reputation or ‘face’ is at the root of many of the country’s social problems (hence their insanely high plastic surgery stats). There is little support for struggling learners – students are pushed through to the next grade, regardless of their performance. It is more important for them to have graduated school on paper.
@Kyuri: You’re right, the schools don’t use their time very constructively. Because they at school, studying and learning for such long hours, they are unable to gain a sense of independence – both academically and emotionally. They are not given the freedom to decide how much time they should spend on each subject or each aspect of their lives (i.e. social, academic etc). When I tell my students about the short South African school day, I explain that I had a lot of homework and I studied everyday. The difference is, however, I was able to do that in my own home using my own methods. I think study time both you and I did at home was definitely of a higher quality because it was self-motivated.
Regarding suicide, many of the instances are linked to school violence – there have been 7 suicides in my city, Daegu, in the last three months and most of them were related to bullying.
@ Stephen Browne: I had a read through the rules for Go and it just turned me off. Might explain why, although absolutely love StarCraft, I never took to it at a competitive level. I much prefer the likes of Wing Commander.
I must admit that I’m not familiar with the SA gaming scene. :-/
Many, if not most, of the most successful people in History never finished their education. Rote learning achieves nothing. If teachers could teach children how to be rich and successful – why would they be teaching for salaries themselves?
One of my favourite stories is when Winston Churchill was invited to give the end of the year prize giving speech at his old school, who apparently forgot that they had expelled him.
He ended his speech by saying that he was not concerned with the quality of children graduating, but hoped they were keeping up the quality of the children they were expelling.