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omonatheydidTiger Moms Hire Tutors as Korea Scraps Classes
Chung Eunjung, a 46-year-old mother from Seoul, says South Korea’s plan to give children more play time by ending Saturday classes means only one thing: more private tutoring.
President Lee Myung Bak’s government said on June 14 it would recommend schools adopt a shorter week starting in 2012, ending Saturday classes that have been a feature of the modern education system since the end of the Korean War in 1953. Most schools now hold classes on two Saturdays a month.
“I’m not the only parent to feel this way,” said Chung, who already spends $1,700 a month on additional classes for her two sons. “It would be a brave mother who let them play.”
The reaction of mothers like Chung helps explain why students in Asia are outperforming the rest of the world. Nations in the region dominate the top five slots in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development’s assessment of reading, math and science skills. U.S. students are ranked 30th in math, 23rd in science and 17th in reading.
President Barack Obama has cited South Koreans’ dedication to schooling as an example of the need for American kids to study harder to compete. Three out of four South Korean parents use cram schools, tutors or online learning to get their kids into college. More than half of the students in Asia’s fourth- largest economy take private math and English lessons, according to the government.
Education Stocks
Rather than creating more family time, the plan to shut schools at the weekend would be a boon for academies like MegaStudy Co., or language-course operator JLS Co., said Kim Mi Song, an analyst at Hyundai Securities Co. in Seoul.
“This will be good news for education stocks,” said Kim. “It is clear that the amount of time students spend in private courses will increase.”
Even with the change, South Korean children will spend more time in school than their U.S. counterparts. In his State of the Union address in January, Obama said South Korea treated its teachers as “nation builders.” In 2009, he said: “Our children spend over a month less in school than children in South Korea every year. That’s no way to prepare them for a 21st century economy.”
In the latest round of the OECD’s Program for International Student Assessments in 2009, South Korea placed second in reading, fourth in math and sixth in science. Finland was the only country outside Asia to make it into the OECD’s top five in any of the three categories.
‘Send My Son’
“If private institutions expand Saturday classes, I’ll definitely send my son,” said Kim Hyeran, who pays $2,800 per month for out-of-school classes for her 13-year-old, including as much as 20 hours of math. The Kim family, like the Chungs, live in Seoul’s Gangnam district, renowned in Korea for its concentration of specialized schools and private academies.
South Korean parents spend about $220 per child every month on out-of-school classes, tutoring and online learning, according to government statistics.
Traditional Confucian reverence for learning matters less to parents these days than the fear that their children will be left behind, according to Han Zun Shang, a professor of education at Yonsei University in Seoul. Annual per capita income has doubled in the past decade to $20,759 and wage inequality is increasing, said Han.
Japan, which cut the school week to five days in 2002, is reversing course after its students began sliding down the OECD’s rankings.
Reversing Course
Between 2000 and 2006, Japanese high school students slumped from first to 10th in math, second to sixth in science and from eighth to 15th in reading comprehension.
Japan added 278 hours to the elementary school year in 2009 and 105 hours to junior high school. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government in January last year told schools they could resume Saturday classes twice a month, according to its website.
The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, which governs state education in the capital, said it plans to add two hours to weekday classes and will reduce some vacation days to offset ending school on Saturdays.
Hyundai Securities’ Kim is one of 10 analysts with “buy” recommendations on MegaStudy, which prepares kids for college exams. Eleven others rate the stock a “hold,” according to Bloomberg data.
Kim said the stock should rebound from a 13 percent drop in the past 12 months, after the government cracked down on cram schools holding classes past 10 p.m. and changed the way college-entrance-exam questions were chosen.
MegaStudy, Thinkbig
JLS, which offers online courses as well as regular language classes, has declined 7.8 percent over the past year.
Officials at MegaStudy and JLS declined to say if they would begin offering more classes.
Daekyo Co. and Woongjin Thinkbig Co., providers of home- study materials for elementary school students, may also benefit from the end to Saturday classes, said Joseph Shon, an analyst at Shinyoung Securities Co. in Seoul.
Weekly workbooks produced by Daekyo and Woongjin provide a cheaper alternative to private tutors and academies. The companies are setting up study centers where parents can leave children to work by themselves under limited supervision.
Daekyo has gained 9.4 percent on the Korea Exchange this month while Woongjin has advanced 0.6 percent. The benchmark Kospi index has dropped 2.2 percent over the same period.
“I put great stock in my son’s education,” said Kim, the mother of the 13-year-old boy. “I will make sure he gets whatever he needs.”
Source: bloomberg
South Korea to Do Away with Printed Textbooks
South Korean students will soon say goodbye to heavy school bags, with the Education Ministry announcing a 2.2 trillion won (S$2.4 billion) plan this week to digitalize all textbooks by 2015.
This means students may go to school with just a tablet computing device, such as the Apple iPad or Samsung Galaxy Tab.
Ministry officials said on Wednesday that students of all ages will be able to access their textbooks on smartphones, computers and smart televisions under the 'Smart Education' scheme.
The textbook plan will be implemented in primary schools by 2014, and expanded to secondary and high schools the following year, South Korean media reported.
In the transition period, both printed and digital texts will be used.
Citing the country's outstanding score in a recent survey on digital learning by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the ministry said it is the right time for a change in the education system, reported the JoongAng Daily newspaper.
'Korean students have ranked first in terms of digital literacy among developed nations according to the OECD-run Program for International Student Assessment,' an official from the Education Ministry was quoted as saying.
'That's why Korean students, who are already fully prepared for digital society, need a paradigm shift in education.'
The OECD report, released on Monday, showed that South Koreans aged between 15 and 19 learn the best from computers and the Internet compared to their counterparts in 16 OECD member countries.
The Paris-based organization comprises 34 of the most advanced countries.
The OECD suggested that educators should better integrate computers into curricula and classrooms and policy makers should invest more in training teachers to use computers for teaching.
The Korea Communications Commission had said that the number of smartphone users in the country will reach 20 million by the end of the year - that is just under half the total population. In Seoul, more than 80 per cent of residents will own a smart gadget by 2015, according to the city government.
The ministry plans to provide free tablet PCs for students from low-income families, Chosun Ilbo reported.
As part of the Smart Education project, the government will build a cloud computing network, which will allow students to access the digital textbooks and store their homework through an Internet connection. The Education Ministry also plans to hold nationwide academic tests online.
To facilitate the shift to digital, wireless Internet access points will be set up in all schools by 2015, the JoongAng Daily reported.
The Education Ministry said schools will begin to introduce more online classes from 2013, so that students who are unable to go to school because of weather conditions or health problems can continue having lessons.
The ministry added that digital textbooks will be cheaper than printed versions. It also expects the project to provide a boost to the IT sector.
However, some skeptics said that without any fundamental change in the current university admission policies, which have led to cut-throat competition among students and a booming private education, there will not be any meaningful improvement in the education system, the Korea Herald reported.
Source: thejakartaglobe
Chung Eunjung, a 46-year-old mother from Seoul, says South Korea’s plan to give children more play time by ending Saturday classes means only one thing: more private tutoring.
President Lee Myung Bak’s government said on June 14 it would recommend schools adopt a shorter week starting in 2012, ending Saturday classes that have been a feature of the modern education system since the end of the Korean War in 1953. Most schools now hold classes on two Saturdays a month.
“I’m not the only parent to feel this way,” said Chung, who already spends $1,700 a month on additional classes for her two sons. “It would be a brave mother who let them play.”
The reaction of mothers like Chung helps explain why students in Asia are outperforming the rest of the world. Nations in the region dominate the top five slots in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development’s assessment of reading, math and science skills. U.S. students are ranked 30th in math, 23rd in science and 17th in reading.
President Barack Obama has cited South Koreans’ dedication to schooling as an example of the need for American kids to study harder to compete. Three out of four South Korean parents use cram schools, tutors or online learning to get their kids into college. More than half of the students in Asia’s fourth- largest economy take private math and English lessons, according to the government.
Education Stocks
Rather than creating more family time, the plan to shut schools at the weekend would be a boon for academies like MegaStudy Co., or language-course operator JLS Co., said Kim Mi Song, an analyst at Hyundai Securities Co. in Seoul.
“This will be good news for education stocks,” said Kim. “It is clear that the amount of time students spend in private courses will increase.”
Even with the change, South Korean children will spend more time in school than their U.S. counterparts. In his State of the Union address in January, Obama said South Korea treated its teachers as “nation builders.” In 2009, he said: “Our children spend over a month less in school than children in South Korea every year. That’s no way to prepare them for a 21st century economy.”
In the latest round of the OECD’s Program for International Student Assessments in 2009, South Korea placed second in reading, fourth in math and sixth in science. Finland was the only country outside Asia to make it into the OECD’s top five in any of the three categories.
‘Send My Son’
“If private institutions expand Saturday classes, I’ll definitely send my son,” said Kim Hyeran, who pays $2,800 per month for out-of-school classes for her 13-year-old, including as much as 20 hours of math. The Kim family, like the Chungs, live in Seoul’s Gangnam district, renowned in Korea for its concentration of specialized schools and private academies.
South Korean parents spend about $220 per child every month on out-of-school classes, tutoring and online learning, according to government statistics.
Traditional Confucian reverence for learning matters less to parents these days than the fear that their children will be left behind, according to Han Zun Shang, a professor of education at Yonsei University in Seoul. Annual per capita income has doubled in the past decade to $20,759 and wage inequality is increasing, said Han.
Japan, which cut the school week to five days in 2002, is reversing course after its students began sliding down the OECD’s rankings.
Reversing Course
Between 2000 and 2006, Japanese high school students slumped from first to 10th in math, second to sixth in science and from eighth to 15th in reading comprehension.
Japan added 278 hours to the elementary school year in 2009 and 105 hours to junior high school. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government in January last year told schools they could resume Saturday classes twice a month, according to its website.
The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, which governs state education in the capital, said it plans to add two hours to weekday classes and will reduce some vacation days to offset ending school on Saturdays.
Hyundai Securities’ Kim is one of 10 analysts with “buy” recommendations on MegaStudy, which prepares kids for college exams. Eleven others rate the stock a “hold,” according to Bloomberg data.
Kim said the stock should rebound from a 13 percent drop in the past 12 months, after the government cracked down on cram schools holding classes past 10 p.m. and changed the way college-entrance-exam questions were chosen.
MegaStudy, Thinkbig
JLS, which offers online courses as well as regular language classes, has declined 7.8 percent over the past year.
Officials at MegaStudy and JLS declined to say if they would begin offering more classes.
Daekyo Co. and Woongjin Thinkbig Co., providers of home- study materials for elementary school students, may also benefit from the end to Saturday classes, said Joseph Shon, an analyst at Shinyoung Securities Co. in Seoul.
Weekly workbooks produced by Daekyo and Woongjin provide a cheaper alternative to private tutors and academies. The companies are setting up study centers where parents can leave children to work by themselves under limited supervision.
Daekyo has gained 9.4 percent on the Korea Exchange this month while Woongjin has advanced 0.6 percent. The benchmark Kospi index has dropped 2.2 percent over the same period.
“I put great stock in my son’s education,” said Kim, the mother of the 13-year-old boy. “I will make sure he gets whatever he needs.”
Source: bloomberg
South Korea to Do Away with Printed Textbooks
South Korean students will soon say goodbye to heavy school bags, with the Education Ministry announcing a 2.2 trillion won (S$2.4 billion) plan this week to digitalize all textbooks by 2015.
This means students may go to school with just a tablet computing device, such as the Apple iPad or Samsung Galaxy Tab.
Ministry officials said on Wednesday that students of all ages will be able to access their textbooks on smartphones, computers and smart televisions under the 'Smart Education' scheme.
The textbook plan will be implemented in primary schools by 2014, and expanded to secondary and high schools the following year, South Korean media reported.
In the transition period, both printed and digital texts will be used.
Citing the country's outstanding score in a recent survey on digital learning by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the ministry said it is the right time for a change in the education system, reported the JoongAng Daily newspaper.
'Korean students have ranked first in terms of digital literacy among developed nations according to the OECD-run Program for International Student Assessment,' an official from the Education Ministry was quoted as saying.
'That's why Korean students, who are already fully prepared for digital society, need a paradigm shift in education.'
The OECD report, released on Monday, showed that South Koreans aged between 15 and 19 learn the best from computers and the Internet compared to their counterparts in 16 OECD member countries.
The Paris-based organization comprises 34 of the most advanced countries.
The OECD suggested that educators should better integrate computers into curricula and classrooms and policy makers should invest more in training teachers to use computers for teaching.
The Korea Communications Commission had said that the number of smartphone users in the country will reach 20 million by the end of the year - that is just under half the total population. In Seoul, more than 80 per cent of residents will own a smart gadget by 2015, according to the city government.
The ministry plans to provide free tablet PCs for students from low-income families, Chosun Ilbo reported.
As part of the Smart Education project, the government will build a cloud computing network, which will allow students to access the digital textbooks and store their homework through an Internet connection. The Education Ministry also plans to hold nationwide academic tests online.
To facilitate the shift to digital, wireless Internet access points will be set up in all schools by 2015, the JoongAng Daily reported.
The Education Ministry said schools will begin to introduce more online classes from 2013, so that students who are unable to go to school because of weather conditions or health problems can continue having lessons.
The ministry added that digital textbooks will be cheaper than printed versions. It also expects the project to provide a boost to the IT sector.
However, some skeptics said that without any fundamental change in the current university admission policies, which have led to cut-throat competition among students and a booming private education, there will not be any meaningful improvement in the education system, the Korea Herald reported.
Source: thejakartaglobe
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2011-07-02 05:03 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-07-02 05:05 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-07-02 06:55 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-07-02 05:20 pm (UTC)Digital books might be cheaper now, but if it ever becomes mainstream...I bet the copyright fees will be jacked up even more.
no subject
Date: 2011-07-02 05:21 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-07-02 06:54 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-07-02 05:27 pm (UTC)Yes, it is vital and an integral part in building your future but it shouldn't be to the decrement of your childhood.
These mums pushing their children into extra tuition aren't doing them any favours tbh.
Also, I'm not sure how to feel about the digitalisation of everything. It's cool but there's something about having a physical book in your hands. Old fashioned ways aren't always bad.
no subject
Date: 2011-07-02 05:30 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-07-02 05:38 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-07-03 01:08 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-07-02 05:41 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-07-02 05:43 pm (UTC)And am I the only one who find it kind of funny that even though Asian kids study more overall than Finnish, we're still pwning them in different studies? Doesn't that kind of prove it that they don't need to study that much to be on top?
no subject
Date: 2011-07-02 07:26 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-07-02 08:36 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-07-02 06:58 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-07-02 07:25 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-07-03 07:10 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-07-03 07:11 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-07-03 07:22 am (UTC)Now I kind of wish we'd have something like in Finland too, though I doubt many would have enough strength to do it :/. Random question, why aren't young Koreans really keen on speaking English? They just don't want/don't have a chance to speak it?
no subject
Date: 2011-07-02 05:46 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-07-02 06:07 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-07-02 06:18 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-07-02 06:24 pm (UTC)I'd finish my classwork then read a book in class.
no subject
Date: 2011-07-02 06:32 pm (UTC)I'd finish my classwork then read a book in class.
Haha, same. I read so much in high school, god. I need to get back into it; college burned me out a bit.
no subject
Date: 2011-07-03 07:40 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-07-03 08:04 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-07-03 08:55 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-07-03 03:05 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-07-03 03:26 am (UTC)Ugh, major reform is majorly needed, but at more of a social level. Education needs to become "cool" again so it can go against the idea of people only going to college for the additional money that goes with the degree. Not to mention treating teachers as someone of VALUE instead of people who got it so easy and are making a lot of money mooching off the system.
no subject
Date: 2011-07-03 08:13 am (UTC)This is a huge problem, though, that you've brought up: how do we get our students motivated again? My first impulse would be to raise the bar and ditch No Child Left Behind - it's sort of a harsh response, but you know what, if you fail because you didn't give a fuck, that's on you, not the government or the school. And besides, we still need janitors. :||||
no subject
Date: 2011-07-03 03:04 pm (UTC)Ugh, I really can't stand how everything is based on test scores. I really wish there could be some magical way to instead have it be based on projects that affect the local community instead. Because I think relying on tests so much is part of the problem. However, it's not possible since the education budget is one of the first ones to be slashed.
I think what also doesn't help is, again, it's viewed that teachers have it easy so a lot of times there will be those who major in education but have no desire to teach. Major problem right there that could be addressed with media and social awareness that teaching is not easy *at all*.
As someone raised in the south, but non-sporty then, I'm definately understanding of allocation of funds. Though on the bright side arts is starting to come back in fashion for teaching at schools. If they have the budget. However, I think sports and physical activity is really something that needs to not be a few selected people and instead mandatory along with health class in the later years considering the growing obesity. I boggled when I heard there were schools that actually still required p.e. after 5th grade as none of the ones in my town did.
No Child Left Behind needs to be ditched. It's a failure in how it inflates grades because it threatens to take away funding from schools that need it while teaching students to a test. Not to mention get rid of passive learning, which is the biggest problem of them all (besides how we really need smaller classroom sizes). Education awareness needs to be brought beyond just "you make x with a college degree" and intergrating it into other cultural lifestyles.
On the note of janitors, I really think the issue with inflation in all of the B.A. and B.S. degrees are that trades are getting looked over. Trade schools need to be promoted as a great alternative to academia since there are plenty who just don't want to deal with random biology and literature classes for their business degrees in something that a trade school would've been better for.
no subject
Date: 2011-07-02 06:46 pm (UTC)I think education in the US, in general, should be reformed; but, not every school in the US offers less than high quality education. There are some schools (elementary, junior high, and high school) here that apply a great education structure. Overall, I think that since the US is so big and edcuation is so varied that its hard to determine which areas need to be bettered.
My city's (surburban area near Chicago) education is considered to be high-quality (and as a Junior in the coming fall, I'd say my high school education thus far has been doing what it should be doing) while some other towns around me struggle in education.
Education also depends on the students. I can't tell you how many times I see kids sleeping or texting in class or some who don't even care (despite receiving free education). Plus, learning doesn't have to be confined in a school. A student has full potential to learn on his/her own time as well to further educate themselves.
Gah... Sorry that I rambled so much.
no subject
Date: 2011-07-02 05:59 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-07-02 06:15 pm (UTC)tl;dr - the attitude toward education is great; the practice of working students to exhaustion, not so much.
Also, as for the digital textbooks - I like having hard copies to write on (you should see all the notes I took in even the novels I used for my undergrad thesis, the margins are littered with scribbles), but I understand the need to lighten the physical load. I like the idea of providing eReaders because the viewing format is like a book. And it's great that the Ministry of Education is going to provide tablets to students from low-income families. I think the US could take a leaf out of Korea's book in this regard. :|
no subject
Date: 2011-07-02 06:27 pm (UTC)I guess a digital textbook might be ok.
no subject
Date: 2011-07-02 08:35 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-07-02 09:39 pm (UTC)Cambridge already kicked my ass for three years.
no subject
Date: 2011-07-02 10:21 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-07-02 10:28 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-07-02 11:21 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-07-03 12:04 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-07-03 06:27 am (UTC)And slightly OT:
...slumped from first to 10th in math, second to sixth in science and from eighth to 15th in reading comprehension.
Am I the only one who hates it when there's no consistency over how you write out your numbers? CHOOSE EITHER NUMBERS OR SPELL THEM OUT. Mixing it like that makes me rage. idek.
no subject
Date: 2011-07-03 06:59 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-07-03 07:22 am (UTC)