Some students who had adapted to virtual learning during the pandemic either felt they didn’t need to attend school or struggled with the transition to face-to-face classes, leading them to drop out. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Oct. 9 (Korea Bizwire) –Last year, more than 20,000 high school students left school. This increase is linked to the challenges some students face when transitioning from online to in-person classes after COVID-19. It’s also influenced by the emphasis on timely admissions by major universities in Seoul.
Data from the Ministry of Education, covering the years 2019 to 2022, reveals that 23,440 students dropped out of high school in the past year. In 2020, when remote learning became widespread due to the pandemic, dropout numbers fell from 24,068 to 15,163. However, they rose again to 19,467 in 2021 and continued to increase last year.
Among the dropouts in 2022, the majority, 12,078 (51.5 percent), were freshmen, while sophomores made up 9,271 (39.6 percent), and juniors accounted for 2,091 (8.9 percent).
The recent surge in dropouts is likely due to the return of in-person classes as the COVID-19 situation improved. Some students who had adapted to virtual learning during the pandemic either felt they didn’t need to attend school or struggled with the transition to face-to-face classes, leading them to drop out.
Another factor contributing to the dropout rate may be the policy that requires major universities in Seoul to maintain over 40 percent on-time admissions. Many students leave high school in their freshman year’s second semester if their grades aren’t satisfactory. They then attempt to pass the GED in April of the following year and take the SAT the year after that.
Lawmaker Kang Deuk-gu, who belongs to the education committee at the National Assembly, expressed concern about the increasing trend of high school dropouts in the education sector and called for urgent measures from education authorities to improve the system and promote public education.
Ashley Song (ashley@koreabizwire.com)
