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Jeonju

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Korean students spend up to 14 hours a day in some form form of education, including after school classes, studying with a tutor or taking supplementary courses, such as English, Chinese, Music, and Maths. Jeonju, South Korea. 24/01/2010. Korea’s Ministry of Health recently announced a new decree to boost the country’s birth rates, one of the lowest in the world alongside Hong Kong and Japan in which most couples are having only one child. There have been various reasons put forward to explain the country’s low birth rate, but most feel it is due to two major factors: the high cost of education and the time spent at work by working parents. The Ministry of Health announced that employers must send their staff home before 7:00 p.m. once a month. The group oriented culture of Korean society demands that most Koreans sacrifice their life for their employer and for their country. A Korean worker will say that it is their “duty” to work late at night, which includes spending time “going out” with co-workers to “build a solid working relationship” with their seniors and juniors. Meanwhile, Korea which has a long cultural tradition of placing a strong emphasis on higher education insures that their students are able to compete internationally alongside other Asian nations. As one middle school teacher Mr. Bae put it: “Korea does not want to be second to any other Asian nation.” From elementary to high school, Korean students will face a full day of studying with families spending almost half of their income on after school classes. Students spend up to 14 hours a day, including after school classes, studying with a tutor or taking supplementary courses, such as English, Chinese, music, and math at the local neighbourhood “hogwon.” Throughout their years at school, a student’s life is dominated by the need to pass an exam to gain entry into a high school and getting a high score to gain admittance into a prestigious university. Korean students have very few extra-curricular activities, but instead, according to the government, need to build character and independence by being responsible for their school’s janitorial work, which includes taking out the garbage, sweeping, vacuuming, and cleaning the toilets. Image one: elementary students taking an English examination over their winter vacation 24/01/2010. Image two: students playing basketball 04/2007. Image three: middle school boys during a school announcement; image four: middle school girls learning English from a native speaker and image five are middle school boys cleaning the teachers’ staff room 04/2007.

Our World

South Korean students face long hours of study

DMTX. Korean students spend up to 14 hours a day in some form form of education, including after school classes, studying with a tutor or taking...

by Lita Davidson in South Korea on 24/01/2010

24/01/2010 - South Korean students face long hours of study - South Korea - DMTX. Korean students spend up to 14...

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South Korean students face long hours of study

Our World

South Korean students face long hours of study

DMTX. Korean students spend up to 14 hours a day in some form form of education, including after school classes, studying with a tutor or taking supplementary courses, such as English, ...
by Lita Davidson, on 24th of January 2010

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