SKorean leader wages war against private teaching
Agence France-Presse | 07/01/2009 9:45 PM
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SEOUL - President Lee Myung-Bak is pushing for curbs on South Korea's costly private cram schools, which are blamed for driving poor households into debt and stressing out young children, officials said Wednesday.
The education ministry said its reform package, approved by Lee the previous day, includes measures to normalise public education and to limit the opening hours of the private cram schools known as hagwon.
"Getting rid of private education is crucial for reducing the financial burden on lower-income households," Lee told a cabinet meeting last week.
After the official school day ends, many parents force young children to study until late in the evening -- sometimes up to midnight -- at the cram schools.
They are desperate to give their offspring a head start towards success in the nationwide College Scholastic Ability Test. This plays a decisive role in deciding which colleges students enter, and thus affects their future careers.
Critics say the test assesses rote learning at the expense of creativity, and encourages expensive private tutoring.
An estimated 200 stressed students commit suicide every year, according to police statistics.
Central bank figures show household spending on private education rose to 20.9 trillion won (16.4 billion dollars) last year from 20.04 trillion won a year earlier despite the economic slowdown.
Details of the ministry's reform plan were not available.
Chung Doo-Un, a lawmaker of the ruling Grand National Party and a close confidant of the president, has proposed banning hagwon from providing classes for elementary school students after 9:00 pm.
They would be prohibited from offering classes for secondary and high school students after 10:00 pm.
The main opposition Democratic Party has already proposed a similar curfew.
"Limiting hagwon operation hours will help reduce spending on private education," Lee Bum, an education expert, told Yonhap news agency.
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