Experiencing tough history and indigence after war, investing in and training human resources became a priority task for the government. Education has thus been key in the reconstruction and growth of the country. While Korea quickly attained high level of enrollment and performance, this success didn’t come without drawbacks. The intense competition in education gradually led to seriously jeopardize student’s well-being. In this context, this presentation will assess and diagnose the strength and weakness of the Korean education system and provide recommendations focusing on the following question: How can Korea combine outstanding academic performance with students’ well-being?

1. Education in
Korea
How to combine outstanding
academic performance with
students’ well-being?
Alice ESCANDE
Gwimoon PARK
Sarah BENSMAÏL
El Ghali FIKRI

2. Outline of the presentation
Education policy as driver of economic growth
Strengths of the Korean education system: quality & equity
Weaknesses of the Korean education system: student well-being
First-hand explanations for students poor well-being: 4 symptoms
Second-level diagnosis: systemic appraisal of Korea’s education
system
Assessment of previous government action and recommendations
Preventive & remedial recommendations for an education system
combining efficiency and self-achievement
WHAT?
WHY?
HOW?

3. The importance of education in South Korea
Growth of GDP in Korea
(100 milion, US dollar)
(Source: Bank of Korea)
Education has been a key sector to
develop Korea
“We only have human resources,
Korean people” – President Kim.
Key steps of development
o 1970s, “raising competent and
diligent human resources”,
“emphasizing sciences education for all”
o 1980s, “strengthening international
competitiveness”, “supplying high
qualified teachers at school”
o 1990s, “enhancing and promoting
second education”
o 2000s, “focusing on achievement
level”

4. The Korean education system shows several strengths (1/2)
● High enrolment rates for the 15-19 year olds
Enrolment rate of 87,1% (higher than France,
UK, US, Finland, Australia and Canada)
OECD data
“In South Korea, teachers are known as
‘nation builders’.” (2011)
"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." (2010)
Barack Obama

5. The Korean education system shows several strengths (2/2)
● Highest share of 25-34 year olds with higher education
● 9TEXT
OECD data
● 67,7% of young
adults (25-34) hold a
higher education
degree.
● 50% more than the
previous generation
(parents)
→ 2.5x more in
relative terms

6. PISA 2012 - Koreans are among the top 5 best performing students
PISA 2012 Results in Focus - OECD
Korean students are also 2nd best performers in problem-sloving
(PISA) after Singapore.

7. PISA 2012 - in Korea, quality and equity go hand in hand
PISA 2012 Results in Focus - OECD
● Korea combines high
levels of student
achievement and one
of the lowest
dependence on
socio-economic
background.
● Equity and
performance have
improved between the
2003-2012 period.

8. What could possibly go wrong?

10. The education system jeopardizes students well-being and has long-term societal effects
● Korea is at the bottom of the list when it comes to
students happiness at school: only 60% say they
are happy at school vs. 80% OECD average. This is
not the case for Macao, Shanghai and Japan
(other top performers)
● Also lowest in terms of satisfaction with school
(65% vs. 80% average) + facility of making
friends (80% vs. 85% average)
Students happiness is lowest among OECD Poor well-being persists later in life

11. ● 13 deaths per 100 000 people
in 2011 (7,7 in 2001)
● Suicidal thoughts : over half
of South Korean teenagers
● Bigger concerns are school
pressure and future
uncertainty for over 40%.
Suicide is the prime cause of high school students’ mortality

12. Why is it so?

13. Diagnosis - Why is it so ?
1
Long study days at and outside
schools (private lessons)
The Suneung - Korean
students’ Holy Grail
These three issues can be related to the
highly competitive entrance examinations
granting access to Korean universities : the
Suneung.
In a labor market that is over-flooded with
over-qualified higher-educated supply,
access to top 3 universities (SKY - only
accessible for the top 7% of high school
students) is a condition sine qua non for
getting the best professional opportunities.
2
Peers’ competition / pressure at
school
3 Pressure at home / from parents
4
Few alternatives to the university
pathway (VET is poorly perceived)

14. 1 - a - Long study days at school leave no time for recreation
06h30 - 07h20 Breakfast
07h30 - 08h00 Student council activities
08h00 - 08h30 English listening/Korean classical poetry
8h30 - 12h30 Regular classes
12h30 - 13h30 Lunch at school
13h30 - 17h30 Regular classes
17h30 - 18h30 Dinner at school
18h30 - 21h30 “Night Self-Study” (mandatory)
21h30 - 22h00 Snack
22h00 - 23h30 Mathematics private tutoring
23h30 - 00h00 Shower
00h00 01h00 Course review, planning for tomorrow
● Long and tiring school days are
getting even longer as students
systematically attend private lessons
after school.
● The tight schedule leaves barely any
room for:
○ Recreational activities at
school;
○ Extra-curricular activities after
school;
○ Leisure time and social
activities (family/friends).

15. 1 - b - Study outside school: Supplementary education (hagwon) may enhance inequality
● 81% of primary students take private
lessons.
● Private tutoring can amount to 1/3 of
households’ budgets.
● Given the sometimes prohibitive costs
of supplementary education, it could
lead to socio-economic segregation
by increasing the impact of SEC on
academic performance.
Korea is among OECD countries where private
expenditure on primary, secondary and tertiary
education is highest (7th and 2nd respectively) - OECD
data

16. 2 - Peer pressure
● School violence : one of four “social evils”.
● 219 cases of school violence reported every day.
● 8,5% of students experienced violence by their peers
during the past year (nationwide survey from the
government).
● School violence take different forms: shunning, physical
violence, stealing personal belongings, even carrying other
students’ bags and running their errands
● Main reasons for bullying : intense competition and
pressure to perform well at school
● School violence can often lead to suicide :
“I am sorry. I am worried that I will become the odd
one out again.” (12-year-old girl who jumped to her death on
the 1st day of school, suicide note)
Skit performed by students on
bullying among peers to raise public
awareness on school violence

17. 3 - Parents pressure
Korean parents not only expect their
children to complete a university degree -
which is the norm in Korea - but they are
also aware of the premium related to a
top-tier higher education at one of the
SKYs.
PISA 2012 Results in Focus - OECD

18. 4 - There are few alternatives to universities
and VET is poorly perceived
- Enrolment in VET is below OECD
average although there are transition
paths towards tertiary education.
- The structure of the education system
provides few alternative pathways.
→ High stakes associated with the CSAT
(Suneung)
- VET is ill-perceived among students
Strong performers and successful reformers in education.
Lessons from PISA for Korea. OECD, 2015.

19. All these thematic issues revolve around the Suneung
- Multiple-choice exams : 8 hours
to complete
- Everyone takes it on the same
day, each year (in November).
- A huge national ranking system
- Memorizing over creativity and
teamwork
Suneung Timetable

21. Has this issue been acknowledged by
policy-makers?

22. 90%

23. Reforms for “Happier school”
1. Open Education, 1995-1999
A movement to reform one-way classroom teaching
Towards “Learners as subjects for learning and teachers as assistants”
“The significance of teaching and learning process as important as test scores.”
Main content
•Implemented in every elementary school
•Paper and pencil tests for all students were officially abolished. Instead,
Consequence
Criticized as a major cause for low achievement and ‘School Collapse’
Why?
(1) No consensus but bureaucratic policy
(2) Policy design, not considering educational environment at that time

24. 2. Free-Learning Semester, 2016
“One Test-Free Semester”
- To reduce student’s stress and pressure from graded school examination
- To help students “find their dreams and talents”
- To make them access hands-on education programs and career experience
Main content
•Either first or second semester of first year in middle school
•There is an overall framework but each school can develop its own program

25. What is the evidence for these types of Programs?
Ireland: Transition Year
○
○
○
UK: Gap Year
○
○
○
○
Denmark: Folk HS
○
○
○

26. Positive Results
➢
➢
➢
➢
Concerns raised
➢ “My child might not be able to compete
and could do less well in academic
subjects “(Parent)
➢ “The free-learning semester would lead
to a decline in academic results” (Teachers)
➢ “Need to make up for a loss of class hours
with private education” (Parents)
➢ Would one semester be enough?
➢ 12 year-old is too young for career exploration

27. 1/ 12 year-old might be too young for career exploration
➢ “Extend the effective period of the program”
• First semester: 12 year-old (first year of middle school) / Creativity and non-academic activities
• Second semester: 14 year-old (third year of middle school) / Career exploration + presenting VET
2/ How to relieve parent’s concern?
➢ “Enhance communication among students, teachers and parents”
• Give presentations about the program and student’s activities before and after the semester
3 / How to drive successful implementation?
➢ “Design a comprehensive training mechanism for teachers”
• Train teachers how to operate the system on-site in an effective way
• Provide a platform for teachers to communicate and exchange their cases
Recommendations for the Free-Learning Semester

28. Is that enough?
Korea can go further

29. 1. Preventive action
2. Remedial efforts

30. Issues
❖ Structural to the issue of academic
pressure!
❖ Suneung most important factor for
University Entrance
❖ Suneung is uni-dimensional (focused
on memorizing)
1. Prevention: Reforming the “Suneung”exam
Recommendations

31. 2. Remediation: Expand psychological support at school
The WEE Project
❖ We+Education; We+Emotion
❖ School counsellors can provide guidance on:
➢ 1. career counseling
➢ 2. self-development
➢ 3. impulse control
➢ 4. overuse and addition
➢ 5. personal relations, family problems

32. 2. Remediation: Expand psychological support at school
Issues
❖ WEE project faces difficulties
➢ Central budget was cut for 2012
➢ Not enough counsellors
➢ Counsellors on short-term contract
❖ Stigma of mental illness
➢ “If someone goes to a psychoanalyst, they
know they’ll be stigmatized for the rest of
their life. So they don’t go.” Student
Recommendations

33. 2. Healing: Expand psychological support at school
❖ Emotional Regulation
❖ Stress and Anxiety
Reduction
❖ Improve Self- esteem
Reduction of
Violence
at School
Decrease of social
and emotional
problems
What can Meditation and Mindfulness do?

35. Conclusion