Education is one of the crucial aspects that an individual needs to be successful in partaking in various activities in life. Education has contributed significantly to the growth of Korea’s democratic government. The education system has played an essential role in the production of skilled and hardworking employees who have in turn participated in the economic growth and development of the country. The system has further reiterated traditional values while upholding its commitment to citizenship, global involvement, and modernization. The society maintains and advocates for the need of education not only lifelong learning but also as a precept of economic and social improvement. The education system in South Korea is rated among the best in offering standard education in both public and private schools. The country is known for producing the most educated labor forces among the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries. Higher education is tackled with a lot of seriousness, and this has seen it become a fundamental aspect of the South Korean life (Shin 2012). Education is viewed as an aspect that propels social mobility among the people and is instilled in children from a younger age. In doing so, children grow up with the need for valuing education. Those who lack any form of formal education are more likely to face social prejudice because most of the people are well educated. This essay analyses the education system in South Korea, the methods of evaluation, the new direction in the system and my personal opinion regarding the education system.
The South Korean education system is characterized by the attendance of school by children aged between the ages of 6 to 15 years. The system also entails six years of elementary school, three years of middle education and three years of high school education. The school offers kindergartens for three to five-year-olds, which has seen the enrolment of many children to pre-school with a representation of approximately 90% (Kim & Lee 2010). In the elementary level, students in the first and second grades are graded based on their competency in problem solving and creativity. The students at this level are instructed in Korean language and other subjects that include and not limited to “happy life” and “good life.” The upper grades include learning of sciences, English, social studies and physical education. In middle school, the subjects that are taught include social studies, Korean language, music and arts, science, physical education, and English. The students at this level of the study also have an “Exam-free Semester,” which offers them the ability to design the courses of their choice, with no paper examinations. High schools, on the other hand, require subjects that include mathematics, science experiments, foreign language, and liberal arts, among others. The first year offers a standard set of academic courses; the second year combines the educational and vocational courses while the third year entails specialized professional courses. The vocational schools are facing modification due to the development of national standards that shape these programs, and the partnership of South Korea with growing industries.
The evaluation of students is done at all levels by use of school-based tests. The requirements for assessment as indicated by the national curriculum framework requires that school-based evaluation should be based on complex tasks, for instance the use of essays, rather than questions that offer multiple choices. South Korea’s evaluation system is known as the National Assessment of Educational Achievement (NAEA). Every year tests are administered in mathematics, Korean and English to all students in grades nine and eleven. The results obtained are used to inform the policy at the ministry level and to gauge the support that a school needs to ensure that students perform exemplary well. Students from vocational or academic schools who wish to proceed to university or polytechnic college must take a College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT). The CSAT has five sections that include Korean ability, English ability, Mathematics ability, social and physical sciences ability, and foreign languages ability. Those who want to join university have to perform well in the test, which is offered only once in a year. In this case, students have to be well prepared for the test. Majority of South Korean students take prep classes outside of school, including private tutoring and hagwons, in preparation for the CSAT (Breakspear 2012). The test is optional for students who have been in the workforce, and this has acted as a motivation to students to try to work before joining higher education directly
The schools are accountable for their performance by developing ways of ensuring that students are able to perform well and prove competitive in the workforce. The evaluation of schools has proved a good way of making schools work hard to produce competitive students. The external inspectors, who are overseen by the provincial education offices, evaluate schools’ performance annually. The ministry of education plays a central role in the evaluation by developing an evaluation plan and standards that come in handy in the process. The evaluations review the school curriculum, teaching and learning practices, and the needs of the students. The ministry of education rewards schools that perform well basing on the evaluation, by being given bonuses. Those that do not perform well on the other hand, are advised on how to improve (Shin 2012). Schools that do not perform well are also provide with targeted support by the ministry of education. The School for Improvement program provides extra funding to secondary schools that do not perform well in the National Assessment of Educational Achievement (NAEA).Targeted supports have deemed beneficial in ensuring that students perform well and that there is reduction in the number of students performing below basic, through parent and student counselling. The school principal evaluates the teachers. The principal however does not have the ability to reward teachers that perform well. However, there are certain incentives that are used as a means of high performance, that include the designation of master teacher, opportunities for studying abroad and bonuses.
The South Korean Ministry of Education adopted new guidelines for a revised curriculum in the country. This new national curriculum is to be completely effective by the year 2020. This curriculum’s objective is to enhance a kind of learning that is creative and integrative. The previous Korean system of education was notably one that was more concerned with conditioned learning and administering standardized knowledge. The new system, however, is one with a vision to enhance creativity and flexibility in learning so that the students can survive in the otherwise competitive and challenging 21st century. The new curriculum in South Korea shall see a new type of convergent and Integrative kind of educational system. Instead of categorizing students into either science-based or liberal arts-based, the new system intends to have both tracks integrated, so that learning in cooperates knowledge from both areas. This perspective is based on the focus on single subjects may often hinder students’ potential, limits their capacity for creative thinking, and hence they tend to become less competitive. Due to exposure to a variety of subjects, learners can apply the knowledge learned in several areas. Also, the convergence education will see adoption and exchange of social science and scientific ideas, which makes them whole-rounded people (Clark et al. 2013).
The new education will also see a shift from knowledge-based learning to that of competency -based. Under the new curriculum, creative thinking, knowledge and information dispensation, self-management, artistic sensibility, civic proficiency and communication skills are the six competencies to be taught. These competencies are to be the foundation for teaching and learning in South Korea. This news system also emphasizes the importance of student’s well-being, also known as “Happy Education.” In 2017, a new policy was established that foresaw learners able to enjoy what is known as “Free Semester.” Here, students are not subjected to assessments or paper tests for the entire semester. About teaching methods, the new system promotes learning that is more interactive and student-centered unlike in the past when it was teacher-oriented and had little or no interactive participation.
Due to the changing economy, it is now believed that the test scores and passing in examinations did not guarantee future career successes in students as it did before. In fact, a survey conducted by Korea Institute of Vocational training in 2013 shows that approximately four in ten workers, aged 20-30 years were said to be over-educated (Lee, Ji-Yeon. 2014) By that year, fewer young people chose not to attend university after completing high school because of the fear of high levels of unemployment. According to another report released in 2012, shows that the longtime need and value of being a college graduate to have better earnings had increased insignificantly, so it no longer justified the expense needed to obtain a degree.
Due to this, many young South Koreans have turned to vocational training and education that are offered in technical schools to earn the skills needed for them to succeed in the workforce. The government also has set measures that prompt young unemployed graduates to look for other possibilities in the field, such as starting up businesses. In the past, vocational training was not acceptable in South Korea, as it was viewed as incapable of making one to obtain a job and achieve socio-economic status. Those that took vocational studies were stigmatized and ridiculed.
In 2015, however, the South Korean government made it a mandate that every student in vocational high school would be given an opportunity for apprenticeship. Through the policy of “employment first, university later” graduates have been motivated to work in industries before pursuing higher education. This model has been adopted from German and Switzerland’s models of apprenticeship. Due to this, many schools have been established in South Korea to prepare and tailor students for their respective careers. Through these schools, the needs of South Korean industries like manufacturing and automobile are introduced to students so that they can perfect their skills before joining the workforce Song Jung-a ( 2013). Furthermore, students in South Korea can now study and work at the same time. Therefore, young South Korean students can comfortably choose careers that are of their interest instead of blindly following what their parents or society expects them to do. The changing dynamics of the 21st century have made these young people realize that to achieve a comfortable life in the community and gain social status, one does not necessarily have to achieve conventional educational backgrounds. Instead, one only needs the right skills to make them thrive in the workforce.
In my opinion, the new educational system in South Korea should see its learning climb up the standards ladder to being one of the best. The adoption of convergent and integrative learning, coupled with competency-based education, active student participation and the introduction of apprenticeship is a huge step in enhancing better, progressive, whole young adults who will be adequately prepared to tackle the contemporary society. Like any other education system, clear guidelines should be set on how to conduct learning, as well as how objectives can be attained to produce the best outcomes. The society as it is should realize that with the changing world, education takes many dimensions, such that individuals do not have to attain a degree for them to be considered successful. This society should embrace these changes and support these ideologies so that it gets diverse individuals, with varying skills and capabilities, hence contributing to the overall success of the society and ultimately, its economy.
It is also crucial for people to realize that there is so much to gain from their skills and abilities. Therefore, young people should channel their efforts in building these skills and abilities so that they have a competitive advantage over others in the workforce. They should focus on perfecting their skills because the modern society does not just focus on achievements, but also the specific skills that make a person stand out from their competitors. With all these collective efforts by the ministry of education, teachers, curriculum developers, students and parents, South Korea’s educational system achieve its aims of making the society a better place.
References
Clark, Nick; Park, Hanna (2013). “Education in South Korea”. World Education News & Review
Lee, Ji-Yeon (2014). “Vocational Education and Training in Korea: Achieving the Enhancement of National Competitiveness” Retrieved on June 10, 2018
Song Jung-a ( 2013). “Education in South Korea: the system must change to satisfy country’s and pupils’ needs.” Financial Times.
Kim, S., & Lee, J. H. (2010). Private tutoring and demand for education in South Korea. Economic development and cultural change, 58(2), 259-296.
Shin, J. C. (2012). Higher education development in Korea: Western university ideas, Confucian tradition, and economic development. Higher Education, 64(1), 59-72.
Breakspear, S. (2012). The policy impact of PISA: An exploration of the normative effects of international benchmarking in school system performance. OECD Education Working Papers, (71), 0_1.