The Status of Education in South Korea UN Secretary-General Commission Meeting Today I would like to address the status of education in South Korea. As you may know South Korea was once a united Korea with its neighbor in the North and has been struggling with its governmental structure since the mid- 1940s. Surprisingly, South Korea has come out on top and proven to be a powerful, driven country. The three global education initiatives: 1. Put every child in school, 2. Improve the quality of leaning, and 3. Foster global citizenship have been extensively reviewed and compared to data put out by The World Bank and nation-based sources. The Republic of South Korea, despite many struggles economically and politically, has proven that exceptional education will lead to long-lasting success. South Korea has a strong legacy that links their desire for success to high educational standards. Some believe that the “East Asian Confucian culture has provided [South Korea] with high levels of social capital in the form of strong family structure and norms of frugality, hard work, and a high valuation of education” (Sorensen, 1994). South Koreans believe that education is a key element in their society and some may even argue determines the social status of families. This begins by putting every child in school. Programs such as “Head Start” enables students who are developmentally delayed to improve language and other skills before being placed in a classroom. Even minority populations such as the disabled are given extra resources and services to help them go to school, including exceptional schools for those with disabilities. Data shows that one exceptional school is located in each province (Sorensen, 1994). Referring to Figure 2, one can
see that the rate of school attendance has steadily increased since 1970. By providing students with a wide variety of resources and options no student is left behind. The Republic of South Korea nationally prides themselves with a tradition of deep values and a sense of morality. In order to improve the quality of learning for all students administrators and national leaders alike allocate proper funding in order to adequately pay teachers, manage resources, and provide incentives to teachers to do the best job possible. Teachers are educated citizens with degrees who pride themselves on their passion and experience. Schools are constantly being improved and evaluated “based on a Ministry of Education evaluation plan, which sets directions and standards” (‘System and school’, 2013). Schools are set to the highest standard possible and ironically enough they spend statistically less then the U.S. per institutions (See. Figure 3). By providing teachers with benefits such as the ability to become “Master Teacher, which entitles effective seasoned teachers to a small monthly stipend in addition to their normal salary”, teachers are more likely to provide the best education possible (‘System and schools’, 2013). South Korean students are far passing their U.S. allies in mean testing score averages. Students are statistically scoring higher in all content areas, and referring to Figure 1 you can see that students far surpass the global average as well. This raises the question, what is South Korea doing differently? Korean students are well-rounded individuals who have a sense of family pride and a desire for educational success. Students are fostering global citizenship in the classroom because teachers are providing students with the resources to do
just that. Students can attend vocational schools and participate in global internships. Schools also place an emphasis on relationships between businesses and schools, so that when students complete their schooling they are more likely to actively participate in the workforce and the economy. Many students outside of the country are also invited to participate in South Korean study courses to learn about the culture. Students learn from an early age to foster understanding and respect for others. Why is South Korea so successful in educating their students, is it because they place a higher importance on education or something more? The UN initiatives lay the groundwork for students all around the globe to be successful, educated individuals. In order to achieve these goals, countries need to work together and help each other change the future for today and generations to come.
Figure 1: Mean scores by country for Reading, Math and Science South Korea scores statistically higher in all educational categories See: http://www.ncee.org/programs-affiliates/center-on-international-educationbenchmarking/top-performing-countries/south-korea-overview/ for more info
Figure 2: Chart from The World Bank: Education statistics showing the average years of primary schooling for ages 15- 24 in South Korea There has been a steady increase since the 1970 as more children are in school. See: http://data.worldbank.org/topic/education for more information and maps
Figure 3: Educational Expenditures, South Korea spends statistically less money per student. Source: http://www.ncee.org/programs-affiliates/center-oninternational-education-benchmarking/top-performing-countries/south-koreaoverview/south-korea-system-and-school-organization/
Works Cited South Korea Overview. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.ncee.org/programsaffiliates/center-on-international-education-benchmarking/top-performingcountries/south-korea-overview/ Sorensen, C. (1994, February). Success and education in south korea. Retrieved from http://faculty.washington.edu/sangok/education.PDF System and school organization. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.ncee.org/programsaffiliates/center-on-international-education-benchmarking/top-performingcountries/south-korea-overview/south-korea-system-and-school-organization/