Korea: Private English Education too much
Imagine sending your child to attend school from 6:00am to 11:00pm. Imagine spending one third of your income just on your child’s private education fees. Imagine half of that just on English education alone. The fact of the matter, you do not have to imagine this scenario, South Korea lives it, and if something is not done fast, the situation will escalate. Rising education expenses are a sure thing to match the high Asian inflation rates. The true question: will the average household be able to afford the high education fees along with the seemingly out of control inflation.
In a battle to defeat the growing demand for education in the South Korean, president Lee Myung-bak announced his initiative to reduce much of the spending:
In a battle to defeat the growing demand for education in the South Korean, president Lee Myung-bak announced his initiative to reduce much of the spending:
president Lee Myung-bak on Tuesday instructed his Cabinet to work out fundamental measures to reduce the nation's snowballing private tutoring expenses, saying the rapidly growing private education market is laying a heavy financial burden on household budgets.President Lee Myung-bak values education and puts English on top. President Lee has even gone to the extent of promising foreign teachers in every school, making English as a medium of education (which later had to be withdrawn), and opening up huge educational facilities. The public changes were hoped to drop the number of students attending private education and seeking overseas English courses. However, the results have seemed to have an adverse affect in the ‘hogwon’ (private institutions) sector; the demand for private English education has increased in the country.
"I've heard domestic households are increasingly burdened by rising private tutoring expenses. Private educational institutions are accused of excessively raising their fees, though their business is irrelevant to global oil prices," Lee was quoted by his spokesman as telling the weekly Cabinet meeting.
"The government is still committed to shrinking the private education sector by normalizing education at public schools in the long term. But new policy measures are now needed to immediately help ordinary households lessen their private tutoring expenses." - Yahoo News
``We have seen an increase in the number of enrollees as well as inquires from parents about the government's move to strengthen English education in schools. The tuition rises reflect such rising demand for services,'' said an official of Mega Study, one of the largest private language institutes. - Korea TimesThe final question: What does the country’s leadership have in mind to curb the growing education demand?
Private tuition including tuition of English is as much a financial burden on parents in my country, Sri Lanka, as in S. Korea. More so in the context of spiraling cost of living. But that shows how much English is in demand. It is a language just indispensable in today's world context. I was watching in full the recent SAARC summit held in Colombo. None of the 8 countries is an English speaking country but all the proceedings were in English. It is just another indication as to how important the language is. I don't think S. Korean leaders can do anything about it as long as parents (and students) demand the language.
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the demand for private education in Korea is a result of several factors:
1.standardized testing-this creates an actual need for specialized education just so that the students can be near the top (90% is considered by many of my students to be a low score).
2.crappy school system-Korean schools suck, unless you're in Seoul, Bundang, or Mokdong. The difference is amazing.
3.cultural propensity toward an unhealthy focus on competition, at all costs.
4.College selection-there is none. If you're not in the upper 0.5%, you can't get into the colleges that are considered to be good (Seoul National, Yonsei, Ewha, KAIST). This problem exists in India as well.
5.Teaching to the test-this is the norm here. You don't go to school to learn, you go to learn how to get a better grade on your mid-terms, finals, and the college entrance exam.
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Education is very important that’s why most parents struggle hard just for them to send their kids to school. An economy like the one we have to deal with these days can push people to desperation, and a lot of normal folks turn to a payday loan when they might not have before. However, it doesn't have to be that way. One of the best ways to get a little more cash in your pockets is to give your weekly or monthly household expenses a little overhaul. In financial planning, costs break down into two categories – fixed costs, or what expenditures are the same amount every time, such as a mortgage or car payment and insurance, and variable costs, or what fluctuates. The biggest variable cost that people have is food. This is one where you can easily start saving money, and buying in bulk on items that you use a lot of. Also buying generic instead of name brands puts you in the right direction quickly. Planning your meals around cheaper staple foods like pasta, or rice and beans will help out as well.
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It is a language just indispensable in today's world context. I was watching in full the recent SAARC summit held in Colombo. None of the 8 countries is an English speaking country but all the proceedings were in English. It is just another indication as to how important the language is. I don't think S. Korean leaders can do anything about it as long as parents (and students) demand the language.
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