Kiyong Byun presentation

Korean Education Achievements & Challenges: 

Korean Education Achievements & Challenges 2011-10-24 1 NASBE Annual Conference 2011 13 October 2011 Atlanta, GA Kiyong BYUN (Korea University)

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2011-10-24 2 Korean War: 1950 - 1953

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2011-10-24 3 Korean War: 1950 - 1953

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2011-10-24 4 Korean War: 1950 - 1953

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South Korea in 1964: Seoul

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South Korea in 2011: Seoul

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South Korea in 2011: Seoul

South Korea at a Glance: 

South Korea at a Glance Area: 99.6 K Sq. Km (107 th ) Population: 49.0 Million (26 th) GDP(09): US$ 1,017 Billion (15th) (GDP per capita : US$20,955) * US($47,335), Japan(37,644) Economy and ICT (World rank) - OECD member economy in 1996 - Broadband diffusion (2 nd ) - Home PC diffusion (3 rd ) - Oil production(90 th ) - National gas production(111 th )

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“Education is Our Hope, Human Resources are Our Future.” It was the power of education that allowed Korea to rise again from the ashes of Korean war and become a prosperous, powerful country…. 2011-10-24 KI-Bong Lee 9

Outline: 

Outline Part I : Overview to Korean Education Part II : Achievements in Education Part III : Driving Forces Behind the Ed. Achievements Part IV : Issues and Challenges

Part I : Overview to Korean Education: 

Part I : Overview to Korean Education

School System Primary(6)-Middle(3)-High School(3)-Universities(4 years) : 

Primary Education Special Schools Civic Schools Primary School Pre-school Education Kindergarten Secondary Education Miscellaneous Schools Civic High Schools Trade Schools Special Classes Middle School Attached to Industrial Firms Middle School High School Trade High Schools Air&Correspondence High School High School Attached to Industrial Firms Higher Education Miscellaneous Schools Industrial Graduate University Air&Correspondence University Junior College University of Education Graduate School Industrial University Teachers College College & University 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 Schooling year Age School System Primary(6)-Middle(3)-High School(3)-Universities(4 years) 2011-10-24 12

Korean Education in a Nutshell: 

Socio-cultural context Homogeneity of Korean society Confucian tradition : respect for teachers, “education fever” prevalence of the egalitarian ideal, No. of Schools, Students, and Teachers - Primary & Secondary: 10,948 schools, 7.8M students, 389K teachers - Univs /Colleges: 376 institutions, 3.3M students, 60K FT teachers Non-formal Education & Training Institutions - Public/private job training institutions; private tutoring institutions, adult education centers; in-plant training institutions, etc. Korean Education in a Nutshell 2011-10-24 13

Private School Enrollment Share(2010): 

Private School Enrollment Share(2010) 74.6 48.1 18.7 1.2 25.4 51.9 81.3 98.8 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Universities/ Colleges High Schools Middle Schools Primary Schools Private National/Public (Unit: %) 2011-10-24 14

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Educational Expenditure as a Percentage of GDP 2011-10-24 15 2000 2008 Primary & Secondary Tertiary Total Primary & Secondary Tertiary Total Korea 3.5 2.2 5.6 4.2 2.6 6.8 Canada 3.3 2.3 5.6 3.6 2.5 6.1 Finland 3.6 1.7 5.3 3.8 1.7 5.5 US 3.9 2.7 6.6 4.1 2.7 6.8 OECD Avg. 3.7 1.3 5.0 3.8 1.5 5.3 Source: OECD (2011) Education at a Glance. Table B.2.1. p. 229

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Relative Proportions of Public & Private Expenditure (Primary & Secondary Education, 2008) 2011-10-24 16 Source: OECD (2011) Education at a Glance. Table B.3.2a. p. 243 Public Sources All Private Sources Private: of which subsidized Korea 77.8 22.2 3.0 Canada 88.6 11.4 - Finland 99.0 1.0 - US 92.0 8.0 - OECD Avg. 91.0 9.0 1.9

Part II : Achievements in Education: 

Part II : Achievements in Education

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Educational Expansion ※ M. Trow, “Forms and Phases of Higher Education”: Elite(<15%) → Mass(15-50) → Universal(>55%) Elite Mass Universal 2011-10-24 18

Advancement Rate: 

Advancement Rate GER Advancement rate 2011-10-24 19

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classification 1995 1999 2003 2007 Korea Math 3 2 2 2 Science 4 5 3 4 Japan Math 2 5 5 5 Science 2 4 5 3 Singapore Math 1 1 1 3 Science 1 2 1 1 US Math 18 19 15 9 Science 12 18 9 11 Students’ outcome ( TIMSS , 8 th Graders) 2011-10-24 20

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classification 2000 2003 2006 2009 Reading 6 2 1 1 Math 2 3 3 1 Science 1 4 1 3 Students’ outcome (PISA, 15 year Olds) 2011-10-24 21 * Source: OECD (www.OECD.org/edu) * US: 14 th in Reading; 25 th in Math, 17 th in Science (PISA 2009)

Part III : Driving Forces behind the Educational Achievements: 

Part III : Driving Forces behind the Educational Achievements

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Driving Forces behind the Education Achievements Qualified Teachers & Good Working Condition 2011-10-24 23 The basic framework of teacher training in Korea 4-year intensive training either at ‘Teacher’s Colleges’ affiliated with universities(Secondary) or independent ‘Universities of Education’(Primary schools). Top-tier high school graduates have usually entered these teacher training institutions followed by a highly competitive selection process . . Why is this possible??

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Driving Forces behind the Education Achievements Qualified Teachers & Good Working Condition 2011-10-24 24 Cultural Aspect: Confucian Tradition of Respecting Teachers Strong Job Security Teachers have been guaranteed positions as state employees , and this serves as a motivation for talented individuals to apply for teaching profession. Favorable Compensation

Primary School Teachers’ Salaries : 

Primary School Teachers’ Salaries (unit : US$ PPP) < Source : OECD education at a glance, 2006 > 2011-10-24 25

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Driving Forces behind the Education Achievements Parents’ Interests in Education : Cultural Aspect 2011-10-24 26 Traditionally, in Korean society, children financially support their parents after retirement For Korean parents, spending for their children’s education means a fruitful investment for the future . The higher level of interests in their children’s education has led to great demands for and (private) investment in education regardless of their financial situation

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Driving Forces behind the Education Achievements Parents’ Interests in Education : Social Context 2011-10-24 27 Hierarchical Structure of Korean HE System Korean higher education system is characterized as a strict hierarchical structure with a few selected universities at the top Institutionally Sponsored Social mobility System Graduates from these few elite universities have occupied most of the higher-status positions in the Korean society(e.g., higher rank government officials, lawyers, and doctors) This resulted in extreme competition for students to enter these universities which in turn reinforced already higher level of parents’ interests in education

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Driving Forces behind the Education Achievements: Other Factors 2011-10-24 28 Strong Government Role Government has played a critical role in expanding access to educational opportunities , improving the education environment, and bridging the gaps in education across regions in the country . Effective Education Finance Government enacted the Local Education Subsidy Act and introduced the education tax at a national level to secure stable financing for education. Role of Private Schools Government, private schools, and the public all undertook their own responsibility for educational financing to satisfy the explosive demand for education

Part IV : Issues and Challenges : 

Part IV : Issues and Challenges

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By and large, Korean education looks good in terms of access to educational opportunity, educational cost-sharing between public and private sector, outcomes of student achievements etc. Major issues and challenges for Korean education include: Ever-increasing Private Tutoring focusing mainly on Developing Test Taking Skills Strong Job Security vs. Motivation of Teachers Decentralization of Educational Governance Strengthening Students’ Choice: Equalization Policy vs. the Establishment of Elite Schools Major Issues & Challenges in Korean Education 2011-10-24 30

1. ‘Dark Side’ of Education Aspiration: 

1. ‘Dark Side’ of Education Aspiration 31 Vicious Cycle generated by Overheated Educational Aspiration Family School Student Too Much Workload & Rote Learning ▼ Loss of Interest in Studying ▼ Lack of Creativity Students Sleeping at classes ▼ Bad Class atmosphere Decreasing Teachers’ Morale Weakening public Education ▼ Excessive private education expenditures ▼ Increasing Household debt ▼ Problems after Retirement

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Private tutoring costs grow almost two thirds as much as public school spending, which aggravate equity imbalance between different SES groups . Worse yet, The purpose of these private tutoring practices mainly focuses on developing students’ test taking skills rather than cultivating competencies of students required for their college education and, more ultimately, their future career in a knowledge-based economy 2011-10-24 KI-Bong Lee 32

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Recent government initiatives to regulate “operation hours” and “level of tuition” at private tutoring institutions does not seem to work very well => People’s attitudes towards private tutoring deeply rooted in socio-cultural aspects of Korean society can hardly be changed within a short period of time 2011-10-24 KI-Bong Lee 33

2. How to Motivate teachers under the Strong Job Security System: 

2 . How to Motivate teachers under the Strong Job Security System Recent Government Initiatives Introduction of a new teacher evaluation system focusing on teaching performance(2005), parents evaluation(2010) Assessment & accreditation of teacher education & training institutes(2009) Recruitment of Principals outside teaching profession (2007) Issue and Challenges Would performance based salary scale improve teachers morale? Would it be a viable policy to recruit principles from outside teaching profession? 2011-10-24 34

Korea University since 1905: 

Korea University since 1905 Korea University since 1905

Korea University since 1905: 

Korea University since 1905

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Thank you for your attention!! (byun0905@korea.ac.kr)