Attending science and gifted high schools in South Korea are over six times more likely to engage in expensive private education costing over 1.5 million won per month. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Jan. 16 (Korea Bizwire) — A recent survey has found that students attending science and gifted high schools in South Korea are over six times more likely to engage in expensive private education costing over 1.5 million won per month compared to their counterparts attending regular high schools.
This was revealed in a joint press conference held at the National Assembly Press Center on January 15, by the educational civic group ‘World Without Private Education Worries’ and Kang Deuk-gu, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea and the National Assembly’s Education Committee.
The survey, conducted in December of last year, targeted 2,091 students in their third year of middle school, as well as 3,503 first-year high school students and 1,742 middle and high school teachers nationwide. According to the findings, 43.8% of first-year students at gifted high schools reported receiving private education that costs more than 1.5 million won per month.
This rate is 6.1 times higher than that of students at regular high schools, where only 7.1% fall into this category. Science high schools recorded a rate of 38.5%, which is 5.4 times higher, while autonomous private high schools came in at 29% (four times higher), and foreign language and international high schools had a rate of 21.7% (three times higher).
Furthermore, the expenditure on private education among middle school students preparing for high school was also higher among those aspiring to enter specialized high schools, with the data showing 42.9% of those aiming for science high schools were spending over 1.5 million won monthly, a rate 5.9 times higher than those aiming for regular high schools (7.2%).
Other schools, such as gifted high schools (25%), foreign language/international high schools (19.5%), and autonomous private high schools (15.7%), also showed significant spending on private education.
Additionally, 57.1% of middle school students hoping to enter science high schools were receiving private education even after 10 p.m., which is 2.7 times higher than those aiming for regular high schools (20.5%).
The pressure of university entrance was also notable, with 60.3% of gifted high school students reporting stress during their high school entrance preparation. The rates for science high schools, foreign language/international high schools, and autonomous private high schools were 51.2%, 47.4%, and 43.7%, respectively, while regular high schools stood at 34.1%.
The survey also revealed that 65.7% of participating teachers believed there were issues with the hierarchical nature of high schools. The highest concern was among regular high school teachers (73.5%), while autonomous private high school teachers were comparatively less concerned (38.5%).
The civic group emphasized, “The hierarchized high school system is leading to numerous problems such as high private education costs, late-night and weekend tutoring, feelings of alienation based on school affiliation, and the decline of regular high schools. The Ministry of Education must understand the severity of this situation; it cannot ignore this issue.”
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
