Education in South Korea - Essay Example

?Education in South Korea Task Background and the research problem Education is the most salient aspect of any society as it is used to gain various heights in life. Formal or informal education is equally valuable as it enables surviving and the development of virtues that enables people co-exists in any society. Education system defines the quality and the level of professionalism in any place, and it is, therefore, necessary that an education system is well organized to realize the results of investment. The term education has its origin from a Latin term Ducane which means leading out. Different countries have various education systems designed to suit its citizens, with a private and the public sector struggling to provide the much-needed education including Korea, china and USA among others. Research from various stakeholders including those in the education system of Korea and those outside the education system of Korea has proven a shortfall which needs to addressed in order to secure the young people in the system. The crucial question, however, remains a mystery to many people as to the source of the Korean education problem. Is it the negligence of the government? Is it poor education system with no realistic and ethical policies? On the other hand, is it the negligence on the part of the parents? This paper tend to answer some of these questions by looking at the composition of Korean educational system, its roles to the general community, some of the challenges faced by the system and a comparison between the system and other countries. The Korean educational system is now in crisis. Unfortunately, the government’s educational reforms offer no hope. Instead, students are alienated from their schools, while teachers lose their pride and happiness in teaching or are the target of reform from a low-ranking government employee. In addition, parents, who harbour great anxiety about their children’s happiness, are worried and confused, due to communications gaps and their own poor schooling. Worst of all, poor students and their parents, who should receive support from their country and society, are now being devastated by an increasingly unfair educational structure. It is proposed that education is a motivator of national development in eras of high economic growth since 1950, just after Korean War. Yet, in this period, it has taken a back seat to short-term needs in investment priorities and has failed to receive support. Educational reform does not only entail designing a reform plan but also providing administrative/financial help and the government’s active interest and investment to support it. In an interview of two tutors fully involved in the Korean education system, it reveals many problems as well as some of the recommendations, which should be accorded to the Korean education system (OECD 2005, 38). Recommendations if implemented can achieve a perfect education system, which does not only give a burden to the parents but is also fair to the whole population. In terms of education, Korea leads in having best education parents spend. Korean parents want the best for their children and, therefore, spend a fortune just to ensure the children get the best. The wife to one of the tutors is not in the country with the children but is in the US where the children are receiving their education a sign that the Korean does not trust the education system of Korea themselves (Seth 2010, 195) Historically, both large and small Korean educational reforms have been already implemented. Korea is not alone in undertaking educational reform; many countries are reforming their educational systems. Educational reforms targeting the 2000s began in the early 1980s, and advanced countries tended to put a top priority on it. According to him, scientific writing and parents’ great zeal for children’s education gave the people the world’s lowest illiteracy rate and high mathematical ability, leading to the strongest competitive advantage in a labour-intensive industry, or element-led economy. Moreover, on average, a long-term, subject-based teaching strategy created labourers in the heavy chemical industry, or investment-led economy, after the mid-1970s. Firstly, education is emphasised as a purposeful, organised, and consistent activity. Many people see there are always purposeful factors in education. These individuals argue that all experiences are educational. However, this is not true. Some experiences are never educational Secondly, many people target holistic educational activities to improve their knowledge, attitudes, values, and technologies. Education should deliver knowledge and influence people. Education should establish in people the right values and attitudes about life. We can impart the right aspects of life to others through education. However, what is the situation in Korea these days? In terms of passion for education, no country can compete with Korea, where parents spend more money on their children’s private education than their incomes, by choosing emigration and becoming Kirogi (goose) families. Recently, there has been, in actuality, no change at all. Now, children of the wealthy study in better environments, attend more academies, and enter domestic or foreign universities, while poor students are pessimistic and despondent about their situations. In Korea, famous proverb states that, “education is a great plan of 100 years.” This means that education can determine the success or failure of a nation. Growing human resources are the foundation of national and social development. Education, which teaches people, is central to national competitiveness because the fate of a nation depends on its people. However, the Korean education system does not seem to perform its role as a great plan of 100 years. Korean education has some chronic problems, including lowered quality of public education, increased costs of private education, passive operations of universities led by government policies, high school education focused only on college admissions, and lack of education tailored to each student’s talents. Even though these problems have long existed, none of them have been resolved. Among these problems, what is the most fundamental is education focused only on university admissions. This form of education has made high school in Korea only a means for entering university high school coursework largely consists of rote memorisation. This type of education generates many other problems and social maladies, including failed efforts to normalise education. Moreover, this phenomenon- is threatening the security of our family. However, the actual situation is even worse than this, because the ability to afford private education is varied (Korea Development Institute 2012). As the competition in education becomes extreme, private education becomes even more expensive. Private education is already more than 20 trillion won, double the cost of university tuition. In addition, even if a poor family manages to pay for private education, the chance that their children will enter a university is increasingly reduced. Regrettably, not only parents and students but also teachers, who should be socially respected, are involved in this matter. Distrust in school education and a social climate more focused on private education after school are not normal, and the problems must be solved. Education is related to various aspects of society- such as politics and the economy- and, as a result, educational problems require a social approach to their reform and improvement. Accordingly, relevant government departments’ help is vitally important for the success of educational reform. A country’s deep consideration is also required. According to precedent, the problems cannot be corrected in the short term Therefore, this study aims to seek a new direction of educational reform by examining and analysing current conditions of Korean education. I would like to conduct this study to comprehend Korea's education problem of focusing only on attending university (entrance exam) and the ensuing private education issue. Designed to offer educational activities, the education of a nation is operated by an educational administration, which follows education policies based on the education system. The education system specifies the education policies of a country through laws, has a relatively stable organisation, and forms a part of the basic social system. More specifically, an education system includes the administration, school education, and social education, and the school education system is most central among these branches. 1.1. The purpose of the Korean education system Education is a tool for improving society education is a process of forming a desirable human and making his or her personal, family, and social lives happy and valuable, as the individual pursues social development. All activities, organisations, and operations in education should be conducted to meet the purpose of education, or to establish an ideal human quality(Chung, 2005). Education makes a person more human-like and desirable to a society and a nation. Based on a democratic constitution designed to make people and society happy, while respecting the freedom, equality, and creativity of each person and helping them to exhibit their best competencies under equally given opportunities, education begins in most nations with free and mandatory elementary school. This is enforced through education laws, which preserve the education system and its operation. Since its independence, Korea has experienced rapid expansion in education because of government policies facilitating education and the importance Koreans place upon education. In 1983, compared to in 1945, this expansion brought four times as many students into elementary schools, 56 times in middle school, and 137 times in high school. Higher education grew extremely popular in 1980, as expanded higher education opportunities became desirable. However, these changes also resulted in some factors that have weakened the normal operations of each college, including students’ limited autonomy and creativity, difficulty in securing good faculty, and lack of modernised facilities. 1.2. Operation and problems of Korea’s education system 1.2.1. Pre-school education Pre-school education refers to the education children receive before entering elementary school, which is mandated by the government. Nursery school, kindergarten, and childcare centres are included in pre-school institutions. Nursery school has a curriculum to teach children who are three to four years of age, while kindergarten educates children aged three to five for one to three years before they enter elementary school (Chung, 2005). Childcare centres protect children of working mothers aged two to five. Although these childcare centres were originally intended to protect children, they also educate children nowadays. The only institution that has the characteristics of school is kindergarten. After the Ministry of Education established and announced the kindergarten program, curricula were described and the purpose of education was set. Article 146 of Korea’s education law says that the purpose of a kindergarten is to nurture children and to help their physical development by providing the appropriate environment. The concrete objectives to achieve the purpose are defined as the following. To raise good habits necessary to live a sound, safe, and happy life and to harmonise the development of all physical functions. To make children experience group activities, help them participate in those activities, and encourage cooperation, independence, and self-governing. To inculcate the appropriate understanding of and attitude about social life and the neighbouring environment. To guide children to use appropriate language and to raise their interest in children’s stories. To raise children’s interest in creative expressions through methods including music, play, art, and writing. 1.2.2. Elementary school Elementary school is an obligatory educational institution to teach common knowledge necessary to people’s lives. Common education includes teaching basic and general knowledge, which every human needs to have regardless of his or her job, and is unlike professional or career education. Basic elementary education is the first stage of public education and the basis of secondary and higher education. Elementary schools are provided freely to Koreans based on the nation’s constitution. All people in Korea are obliged to have their children attend elementary school, and law obliges other education because children cannot insist upon their right to receive an education independently (Cho, 2008). It is a worldwide custom to divide education into elementary, secondary, and higher education levels. Elementary school is basic education for people, and Article Eight of Korean education law stipulates that all Korean people have the right to receive six years of elementary education and three years of middle school education. The purpose of elementary school is to teach children the basic abilities needed to lead ordinary lives and to lay the foundation for their holistic development. To achieve this purpose, each elementary school should make the effort to reach the following objectives To teach children to understand and use the Korean language as necessary to function in daily life. To inculcate in children morality, the sense of responsibility, public duty, and cooperation, so they understand the relations between individuals and a society and between individuals and a nation. In particular, to raise their national consciousness, independence, and self-governing, as well as international cooperation, by helping them understand national traditions and history. To teach children to observe natural objects and situations and think about them scientifically. To enable children to understand and deal with the mathematics necessary to function in daily life, so they can accomplish basic tasks and live independently. To ensure they have a basic understanding of the functions of music, art, and literature, which make human life bright and joyful. To help children more fully understand health and to harmonise their physical and psychological development by nurturing the necessary habits. These objectives of elementary school, as described in Korea’s education law, are also the objectives of the nine subjects, including Korean language, morality, society, science, mathematics, practical course, music, art, and physical education in the elementary school curriculum. These objectives are also designed to give students basic knowledge and skills needed to live in society without becoming a burden. However, one of the big problems of elementary school education is overcrowded classes. In rural areas, there are many empty classes because not enough students are attending school, while classes in Seoul and other big cities are overcrowded. 1.2.3. Secondary education (age group?) Secondary education is six years of education given after elementary education. In other words, it includes three years of middle school education and another three years of high school education. Korea’s education law says the purpose of middle school education is to teach intermediate common education on the basis of elementary education. The law says that to achieve this purpose, middle schools should make the effort to reach the objectives listed below To raise students’ character and qualities necessary to live as decent people by advancing the advancements made in elementary school. To cultivate students’ knowledge and skills associated with jobs necessary in a society, to nurture the mind-set and behaviours that respect labour, and to develop abilities to decide their own careers according to their interests and personalities. To facilitate self-governing activities within and outside school as well as to develop their abilities to maintain appropriate emotions and to cultivate critical viewpoints. To help train their physical abilities and sound psychological abilities. Middle schools strive to achieve those objectives through a curriculum divided between curricular subjects and extracurricular activities. The curriculum includes required subjects and electives, and required subjects include morality, Korean language, mathematics, English, sociology, physical education, science, art, family skills, and commerce, while electives are Chinese, computer science, environment, and other subjects. Extracurricular activities consist of class activities, school activities, and club activities. 1.2.4. Higher education University education is highly specialised and prepares students for their future careers. In the past, only a small number of people attended university, but these days, freedom and democracy have given people more equal opportunities to receive a higher education. As universities have become more accessible to people, higher education has rapidly expanded. Although only approximately 7,900 students attended universities, including 4 years universities and shorter-term (normally 2 years) higher educational institutions, just after Korea established its independence, now, there are 1.55 million students in higher education, including 360,000 in college, 1.34 million in universities, and 97,000 in graduate schools (Cho, 2008). These figures indicate an enormous expansion compared to Korea’s population growth. The number of higher-education institutions has also expanded to 120 colleges, 11 specialised colleges, and 119 universities. The cause of this expansion in higher education includes Korea’s traditional passion for education, in conjunction with greater accessibility to university, a response to higher education policies designed to meet the values of a democratic society. In addition, the Ministry of Education, which had rigidly limited the number of students enrolled in college, increased this limit to attract students abroad; thus, each university has been permitted to grow by 30 per cent, according to the 1981 graduation quota system (Noh et al, 2006). With the rapid expansion in higher education, many people insist that universities should improve their quality of education and enhance their educational contents (Cho, 2008). The rules for establishing a university designate the standards for its facilities, books, and professors, and those rules impact preparing outward conditions of each university. In particular, the Korea National Open University has shown rapid growth as a short-term higher education institution. This university is focused on establishing a social education system and offers education for working people through radio and other media; it also offers summer and winter field education at nationwide cooperative universities (Cho, 2008). 1.2.5. Problems of the education system Many people believe that Korea’s education system is on the verge of a crisis. It is very painful to see that most people think Korean education has worsened despite several education reforms (Chung, 2005). A range of problems have been identified, some of them are phase-specific, some permeate the whole education system. Schools and teachers are lagging behind changes in society. Schools and teachers are led by social changes, but they are not appropriately responding to the rapidly changing requirements of society and students. The new era is requiring schools to reset their roles (Ham and Huh, 2011). Secondary education in Korea had experienced unprecedented expansion over the past 50 years, and such expansion has resulted in the problems described as follows. To start with the rapid increase in the proportion of the population receiving secondary education has lowered the quality of education. Overcrowding students in each class makes it more difficult to conduct efficient and effective classes and to guide students appropriately, lowering the overall quality of education (Chung, 2004). Secondly, the increase in the population receiving education has also increased the financial burden on the government. The rapid establishment of new middle schools because of admission without entrance exams and enormous government investments far reduced government budget assigned for secondary education, while private education institutions have suffered from limited funding Education is overly focused on university admissions and credentials Society prioritises people’s educational backgrounds based on university rankings (Educational Policy Advisory Committee, 2010). This perspective of education—as a tool for future success—makes it difficult to address and correct inappropriate practices through educational reforms. In this situation, although there have been reforms and policies aimed to preserve the essence of education, people still view education only as a means for university admissions. In addition, many Korean parents think achieving a good educational background is the most important life goal. Those parents do not want to accept any other type of education, even if it is useful, if it will not help their children enter a prestigious university (Ham and Huh, 2011). This situation contributes to the growth of private education, while public education suffers (Song, 2008). Inappropriate college admissions system The College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT), which has been administered since 1994 until now, replaced the previous entrance examinations for university admissions; those exams were criticised for measuring only memorised knowledge (Kim, 2006). The CSAT was devised to measure a student’s overall academic abilities, to reduce the burden of university admissions on students, to provide a reasonable guide for university admissions officers, and to minimise the effects of private education. However, the test has failed to fulfil any of those functions. Students’ burdens have been heavier; and university admissions has lost its meaning because admissions officers consider only the test results, rather than the personality of each student. Furthermore, increases in private education costs have reached the considerable amount of 20 trillion won annually. It is ironic that the CSAT has the dominant position in our education system (Kim, 2006). The admissions system focuses only on exam and CSAT results, instead of considering an applicant’s community service activities, morality, and talent. Not enough financial support for universities and university policies. The Korean government provides financial support only to national universities (Lee, 1999). There is no financial support for private university (Chung, 2000). In this situation, the autonomy of each university has been weakened; universities have been limited in developing and operating curricula and other programs. Meanwhile, private universities suffer from financial limitations, as the government limits the amount of tuition they can charge, but tuition is an important component of each university’s budget. These universities are as regulated by government policies as public universities. These limitations weaken education and research at each university, and those universities cannot help but operate the school administration with minimal expenses (Ham and Huh, 2011). When university education is weakened, students cannot help but consider superficial conditions such as whether the university is public or private, where it is located, and when it was established, when choosing where to attend. Low-quality education in universities is one of the greatest reasons for the ranking system among universities. Collectivism and conflict of understanding of education policies between different social groups. In conducting education reforms, different groups have different views about some policies, causing conflicts among those groups. In particular, people think differently about public and private schools, education in various regions, foundations and schools, and teachers and parents; some issues include the standardisation of high school curricula, local education autonomy, school-operating committees, private education policies, policies about the appointment of faculty (Lee, 1999). Collectivism in these different understandings of education policies among each group is making it difficult to pursue innovative education policies. Regulations on education and deficient autonomy of each educational institution Even though many regulations on education have been removed or reduced, numerous regulations remain in place, making autonomous school administration difficult, and those regulations do not facilitate self-governing practices and creative educational achievement because the administrative right of the central government has not been actively transferred to each educational institution (Lee, 1999). Difficulty securing stable budgets for school development. Securing a stable education budget is necessary to achieve education development (Kim, 2006). To conduct education reforms or to enforce proposed policies, a considerable amount of additional investment is required. However, insufficient budgets for education are making it difficult for schools to succeed in conducting education reforms. Weak public education system. Education in Korea is now mainly led by private institutions: about 40% of secondary education and 87% of higher education institutions (96% of colleges, 80% of universities) are privatively operated (Statistics Korea, 2012). Overburden in education costs: parents are primarily held accountable for education costs. The amount of public education costs paid by families, including tuition, is 2.7% of Korea’s GDP as of 2011, and private education costs reached 4 to 7% of the nation’s GDP (from 24 to 42 trillion won); this is the highest figure among OECD countries. Meanwhile, public education costs paid by the government amount to 4.1% of the GDP, below the average of OECD countries, which is 5.2% of the GDP. The share of education costs paid by one labour family in Korea is three times as large as that paid by a Japanese family. The richest 10 per cent of families spend seven times more money on education than the poorest 10 per cent of the population in Korea, according to the Korea Development Institute (2012). In addition, there has been a consistent increase in private education costs (from 10.7 to 13.6 trillion won) and in the percentage of students receiving tutoring. The number of private colleges has increased from 11,426 to 24,822 (increased by 117% compared to five years ago). A student whose father has a high-income job is 16 times more likely to enter Seoul National University (SNU) compared to other students. Eight school districts in Seoul’s Gangnam area have 2.5 times more students who have been admitted to SNU. The monthly average private education cost for each household in the Gangnam area is 2.6 times higher than the cost of average households (Korea Labour Institute, 2012). A student’s grades are directly correlated with his parents’ higher education background or income, and a student with higher grades is more likely to attend university. In Korean society, university admissions is a family business that includes parental involvement (Sin, 2007). Private institutions operate until late-night hours because parents are eager to ensure their children can be admitted to prestigious universities. People invest in securities and bonds, expecting future returns; and educating children has become similar. Education is a kind of investment, as parents spend time and money to ensure their children secure better futures. In this regard, investment in education is affected by profit rates. That is a ratio between the costs that parents spend on education and the incomes their children earn after graduating. Education costs include public education costs paid by the government, private education costs paid by the individual, and lost income as an individual chooses to learn instead of to work (Sim, 2009). This concept explains the fanaticism about education and the high ratio of university admission sin Korea. The return rate is higher in developing countries and lower in developed countries. How much is Korea’s return rate? According to a 2009 study, the return rate of education investment in Korea was 8.7%, that is, between the level of developing countries and that of their developed counterparts. Normally colleges and universities have higher return rates than high schools. The annual average return rate of higher education is 9%, which is higher than Korea’s inflation rate. That means more investment in education brings higher returns. In addition, the return rate has been growing since the mid-1990s (Kim, 2009). The income for uniersity graduates is 1.6 million won on average, which is far higher than that for high school graduates: 1 million won (Korea Labour Institute, 2012). The income gap, caused by unequal academic backgrounds, in Korea is the second-largest gab among OECD member countries, following the United States. It is natural for parents to show extreme passion for education because their investment generates high returns 3. Korean economy and education 3.1. Economic value of education What is the basis of analysing education in terms of its economic value? Like other products and services, we should put a considerable amount of rare economic resources to achieve educational results and to distribute the products of education to members of society equally, benefiting individuals and society together. Based on this economic perspective, the human capital theory considers education to be an object of investment. This means considering education as one of society’s economic goods (Song, 2008). In other words, people invest current expenses, expecting higher returns in the future so they can achieve human capital, which has the same investment value as other goods. We call this logic the human capital theory, and American economists began to discuss this issue after recognising that investment in human capital contributed significantly to U.S. economic growth; they were required to measure the return rates of education to explore this issue further. Thus, the human capital theory explains how education and training have an impact on individual income, and it holds that individuals’ return rates for education grow with job requirements for higher sills (Lee, 2004). Education levels will continue rising unless the costs of education and the demand for unskilled labour increase. 3.2. Return of Education According to the human capital theory, an individual can improve his/her income level through education. Without considering direct and indirect costs and taking into account different family background and abilities, education has its economic value (Kim, 2009). The returns from education can be various, but we can divide them into direct and indirect income, financial and non-financial income, private and social income, and investment income and consumable income (Ham and Huh, 2011). Some of these concepts are overlapping as well. 3.2.1. Direct and indirect returns Education enables a person to perform his/her role in a mindful way by inciting his curiosity (Ham and Huh, 2011). Education also enables changes in one’s social position by helping an individual to identify his or her professional talent. 3.2.2. Returns as investment goods and consumption goods Returns as investment goods are observed when a person becomes satisfied in the future due to the long-term benefits gained from education (Korea Labour Institute, 2012). Returns as consumption goods occur when education provides current returns, even though they are not future value returns. That includes benefits from extracurricular programs, activities, social activities, membership training, festivals, and meetings. 3.2.3. Private and social returns Private returns are financial and non-financial returns, which an educated person earns from education, while social returns widen the range of educational returns through external effects of education beyond the individual (Educational Policy Advisory Committee, 2010). The government mediates the education market because it generates social returns. Social returns include the supply of human resources for economic development, expanded productivity, innovation from improved education level, greater civil consciousness, effects between generations, external effects upon other people, and finding an individual’s talent through education. 3.2.4. Financial and non-financial returns Returns of education investments can be divided into financial returns, which can be measured by monetary value, and non-financial returns (Korea Labour Institute, 2012). Financial returns mean labour income, business returns, and increase in investment income, while non-financial returns mean satisfaction and achievement, improved physical health, accessibility to a wider range of jobs, child education, and a more reasonable way of consuming goods. 3.3 Education’s contribution to Korea’s economy As all parents have great expectations of their children, education gives great hope to our future society. If we educate our children, we can benefit our nation as well as each individual. Many foreign studies have shown that education benefits society as well as individuals (Educational Policy Advisory Committee, 2010). Many East Asian countries, including Korea, have shown that education has played a major role in developing a nation. These countries have shown unprecedented growth and have placed significant value on education, and investments in education have laid the foundation for this attitude. However, not all economists agree with this analysis. The percentage of illiteracy was 46% in Taiwan and 28% in the Philippines in 1960. Korea’s illiteracy rate was far higher at 29%--much higher than Argentina, at 9%--during the same period (Lee, 2004). Thus, it was surprising that Taiwan and Korea recorded higher growth rates than the Philippines and Argentina. Switzerland, likewise, is an example of a country yet it is one of the richest counties in the world. The university admissions rate in Switzerland is 40%, which is half of Korea’s rate. Education does not always make a country richer. In other words, a lower average education level does not always mean a country will be poor. In developed countries, education has become the concrete basis for sustainable social and economic development by forming human capital and social capital. The effects of investment in education in those countries are very huge. In developed members of OECD, one more average year of education contributes to an increase in GDP by three to six per cent. The social returns of education are higher than the individual returns in those countries. The opposite is the case, however, in developing countries. In other words, while a society earns higher returns from education than individuals do in developed countries, the situation is different in developing countries. What about Korea? Studies estimating the contribution of investment in Korean education show that education has contributed less significantly to economic growth than expected. In Korea, individuals earn huge benefits from education while overall society does not benefit as much, compared to developed countries (Lee, 2004). The reasons for this observation are the overly high rates of university admissions and unnecessarily high education level. The bigger reason, however, would be the distorted function of education. As education focuses on test results, improving productivity has grown less important to teachers and students (Kim, 2009). Thus, we cannot expect social returns. If education enhances one’s character and improves his or her abilities, thus improving productivity, our future is bright. Otherwise, education simply wastes people’s time and money without improving society. The characteristics of education in Korea are as follows. The government policy decides the amount of high school students. The education level of Koreans has rapidly grown, with a particularly high demand for higher education. The issue of repeat students is severe. The gap between rural and urban areas’ access to educational opportunities is huge because human and institutional resources are focused on six urban areas; the disparity grows at the higher education level. There exists population movement based on educational factors. People with education backgrounds lower than high school are mostly employed in agriculture, while college graduates and people with lower educational levels are employed in other industries. The average income of college graduates was twice that of people with lower educational levels. We have depended only on human resources for national and social development, and the situation will continue. The advent of a knowledge-driven economy, which generates and utilises knowledge and information, can be our opportunity because we have numerous human resources. The productivity and the range of knowledge of each individual are not superior in this knowledge-driven economic society. When we review our education with national competitiveness data, our knowledge base is very fragile and may not meet the requirement of the new society (Korea Development Institute, 2012). According to the world’s competitiveness rankings by IMD (2012), Korea was 43rd in domestic economic activeness, 40th in globalisation, 37th in government administration, 41st in financial environment, 30th in social indirect capital, 42nd in company management, 28th in scientific technology, and 31st in human capital. According to its evaluation on human resources, Korea’s rates of entering middle and high schools, admission rates to university, and social values show competitive advantages, while the competitiveness of its higher education and education systems, and the ratio of students to teachers in elementary and middle schools are far behind. Although Korea was ranked second in terms of secondary education admission and sixth in higher education admission, its education system (44th), higher education’s competitiveness (47th), and the number of students per teacher in elementary and secondary education institutions (47th) were poor. Even though this is a partial index, it shows that Korea’s education system offers a poor environment. In particular, Korea’s competitiveness in education lags far behind that of Singapore (third), Taiwan (fourth), and even Thailand (33th) and China (39th). Its higher education competitiveness is poorer than Singapore (third), Taiwan (sixth), China (42th), and Thailand (43th). Although the number of students per teacher measured the education environment, it is true that Korea has a poor education environment, manifested by overcrowded classes and oversized schools. This means that production is poorer than investments, reflecting the country’s weak educational process. It can be assumed that little competition among educational institutions, emphasising only equality in education while standardising policies, has contributed to these results. However, the level of educational achievement among Korean students was high. For instance, according to the results of the PISA test, Korean students are the highest achievers. Korean fourth graders were ranked second for math and first for science, while eighth graders were ranked second for math and fourth for science, showing high achievement in both subjects. However, this excellent performance decreases with increased grade level. In particular, Korean students’ achievement in higher education is far below that of elementary and secondary education, and achievement in graduate school or after graduation is even lower. As a result, the Science Citation Index of Korea is 1/25 that of the United States, and 1/7 that of the United Kingdom, Japan, and Germany. In terms of the number of articles written by scholars, Korea is ranked 16th among comparable countries, and in terms of the number of articles per 10,000 people, it is 33th. It is assumed that Korean students are poor at problem solving in new situations that require creativity because they are accustomed to memorising knowledge. This weakness requires a particularly urgent solution because creativity and problem solving are necessary in the future’s knowledge-based society. In short, education policies, in response to this knowledge-based society, should focus upon cultivating creativity and competitiveness by facilitating competitions within education institutions. School education should be changed to be more appropriate to life-long education, including re-education, life-cycle education, and open education for self-satisfaction, and the government should ensure cooperation among social institutions. To achieve these goals, it is important for everyone to voluntarily participate in education. The tasks of the Korean education system are the following 1. The transition from a rigid and standardised education system to an open system is urgent. 2. An open education system, which can cultivate the life-long ability to gain and apply knowledge, is required. 3. Scientific education enabling individual teaching, learning, and creative education should be achieved. 4. The protection and nurturing of intelligent property rights should be achieved to adapt Koreans to global competition. 5. Relevant administrative and financial support should be established to create an educational information system and to strengthen information device use in each region. 3.3.1 University admissions reform First, the university admissions system and de-emphasise the frenzy surrounding university admissions need to be corrected. University should admit students based on their holistic qualities, not on their test scores. The evaluation should be conducted more on an absolute basis rather than a relative basis. The government should not regulate university policies, so universities’ admissions decisions reflect students’ talents, leadership, and volunteer activities. Excellent academic grades are not the sole criterion to be considered in university admissions. In addition, the education system should reduce the burden on students by giving more testing opportunities for the entrance exam, which is currently administered only once a year. 3.3.2. Changes in social consciousness To eradicate the problems of education surrounding university admissions, social consciousness, which now only values top-tier universities, should be altered. In other words, we should discard the attitude that values only academic background. The mind-set that everyone must attend university should be corrected. University is a choice for someone who wants to enter academic, perhaps, but it is not a necessity. The government should correct this social attitude by strengthening skills-based education, such as establishing and expanding specialised trade schools and preparing programs that help students to choose careers. Establishing a concept of life-long learning can be an option. Life-long education presents new possibilities of education so people can adapt to the rapidly changing environment in the future. If people begin to realise that learning is a life-long activity, rather than a means of attending university based on one test, then the frenzy surrounding university admissions would be reduced. 3.3.3. Expansion of investment in public education Korea’s public education system is not in such a dire situation as has been previously reported. Other developed countries are dealing with education problems as well. Korea’s public education system is not so weak in comparison. What is important is consistent improvement, reform of policies, and changes in schools. If we make consistent efforts to do the above, the public education system can improve and move its focus from college admissions. Such achievements can be possible only if there is increased investment in public education. 3.3.4. Changes in universities Universities should be changed. Korean universities are ranked based only on test scores, and students seek to enter prestigious universities without considering other important factors. If the current trend were changed so that students and admissions officers made better choices, then the university admissions competition would be reduced. Each university should make efforts to select students with potential, rather than students with high-test results. As much as it is known to the best is not as it is viewed. This is because of the various problems and challenges it creates rather than addressing them (Shavit 2007, 87). In addition, the system is exceedingly costly this selects beneficiaries to be only f or the high-income families while leaving out others from low income countries. W hen compared with the education system form other western countries the Koreans educational system for instance USA, Great and vast differences are noted. USA, for example, focuses on general education with a well-balanced student ration (Dahlman & Andersson 2000, 6). Furthermore, support given students, teachers and institutions is high with the education system taking a lion’s share of the budget. In addition, a balance is maintained between the private and public education system an opposite of Korean education system, which has its utmost segment occupied by the private system. References Seth, M J 2010, A Concise History of Modern Korea: From the Late Nineteenth Century to the Present, Rowman & Littlefield, New York. Altbach, P G & Umakoshi, T 2004, Asian Universities: Historical Perspectives And Contemporary Challenges, JHU Press, Maryland. Dahlman, C J & Andersson, T 2000, Korea and the Knowledge-Based Economy: Making the Transition, World Bank Publications, Stockholm. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development 2005, OECD Economic Surveys: Korea 2005, OECD Publishing, Barcelona. Seth, M, J 2002, Education Fever: Society, Politics, and the Pursuit of Schooling in South Korea, University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu. Shavit, Y 2007, Stratification in Higher Education: A Comparative Study, Stanford University Press, California. Seth, M J 2010, A Concise History of Modern Korea: From the Late Nineteenth Century to the Present, Rowman & Littlefield, New York. Steinberg, D I 2005, Korean Attitudes Toward the United States: Changing Dynamics, M.E. Sharpe, Hong Kong. Lew, J 2006, Asian Americans in Class: Charting the Achievement Gap Among Korean American Youth, Teachers College Press, New York. Young-M, C 2000, Integrated Korean: Beginning 2 of Integrated Korean: Beginning, Volume 2, University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu. Read More