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PUBLIC EDUCATION SYSTEM IN SOUTH KOREA

With an impressive literacy rate of 98%, South Korea is known for its high regard for good education from childhood. Graduating from an acclaimed educational institute is usually seen as a matter of great accomplishment and it often translates into a social admiration and respect for the individual. According to the Ministry of Education of South Korea, public schools currently include 5,058 kindergartens, 6,067 elementary schools, 2,628 middle schools and 1,452 high schools. There are 92 public special education schools throughout the country. Imparting sound education to every citizen from an early age irrespective of economic conditions is one of the top priorities of the country. In the past several years, South Korea has been undertaking various projects to achieve the same. The Ministry of Education has been working towards improving both public elementary and higher education experience for the masses. A national-level curriculum called the ‘Nuri Curriculum’ has been implemented since July 2012 to “strengthen the nation’s responsibility for early education” (KICCE Policy Brief 2019). It guarantees “equal educational opportunities for all children at the beginning of their lives by providing free educational expenses” (ibid). Tuition-free high-schools, support for school entrance fees and textbook expenses are also some of the goals the country is working towards. Over the years, the thrust of public education has been to follow a curriculum that focuses more on personality development and the cultivation of qualities to become responsible citizens rather than a curriculum that only guarantees entrance into higher educational institutions. The most recent revised version of the 7th curriculum followed in schools lists its major goals as: producing “creative convergence talent,” realizing “happy learning by means of workload optimization and improved learning experience,” implementing “a curriculum capable of promoting core competencies,” reinforcing “foundational knowledge education in humanities, social studies, science and technology” and consolidating “consistency in content, teaching and assessment.” Since 2000, Korea has consistently earmarked 15-20% of its budget for education, which happens to be highest among the OECD countries. In 2020, it invested 75.7 trillion won in the educational sector.

PUBLIC EDUCATION STRUCTURE

According to Ministry of Education, Korean education uses a 6-3-3-4 single ladder system - six years in elementary school, three years each in middle school and high school, and four years in university. It has been praised for various reasons, including its remarkably high test-results and its major role in paving the way to South Korea's economic development while creating one of the world's most educated work forces. As per educational statistics 2020, total number of schools (kindergarten, elementary, middle, high) are 20,740. Number of students are 6,010,006 and number of teachers are 498,281.

EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION - the first step in addressing learning gaps:

Childcare and development programs are offered at kindergartens for children ages 3 and older and daycare centers for babies and infants. Government policies to increase public accountability for kindergartens to improve the learning opportunities for the children. According to Ministry of Education, Korean government introduced the so-called Nuri (It means the world in Korean.) Curriculum whose goal is to give a kind of ‘fair opportunity to get education’ for all Korean children and let them pursue their dreams and hopes to their complete satisfaction.

PRIMARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION – guaranteeing equal educational opportunities:

• Elementary schools

It consists of grades one to six (age 7 to age 12 in Korean years—6 to 11 in western years). Korea’s compulsory elementary education began in 1950 and advanced in phases over the next 30 years. Starting in 1985, compulsory middle school education was introduced and expanded regionally with widespread implementation in 2004. The primary curriculum consists of nine principal subjects: moral education, Korean language, social studies, mathematics, science, physical education, music, fine arts, and practical arts. English-language instruction now begins in the third grade, so that children can start learning English in a relaxed atmosphere through colloquial commutation.

• Middle schools

Middle schools in South Korea consist of three grades. Most students enter at age 12 and graduate at age 14 or 15. Upon completion of primary school, students advance to middle school, which consists of grades seven through nine. The curriculum consists of 12  fundamental or  essential subjects(Korean, Mathematics, English, social studies, and science form the core subjects) with students also receiving instruction in music, art, Physical Education, Korean history, ethics, home economics, secondary language, technology).Homeroom teachers play a very important role in students' lives.

A 1-hour class period lasts 45 minutes in proposition, but it can be adjusted pliably in consideration of weather, season, student enlargement, learning content types, and school state of affairs. Before school, students have an extra block of 30 minutes or longer that may be used for self-study.

  **More than 95% of middle school students also attend privately run, after-school tutoring agencies known as Hagwon (학원), or "cram schools", in order to receive extra specifications from private tutors. The core subjects, especially the cumulative subjects of Korean, English, and math, receive the most emphasis.

• High schools

High schools in South Korea teach students for three years, from first grade (age 15–16) to third grade (age 17–18), and students commonly graduate at age 17 or 18. High schools are divided into academic and vocational schools. In 1995, some 62 percent of students were enrolled in academic high schools and 38 percent in vocational high schools. A small number attended specialized high schools concentrating in science, the arts, foreign languages, and other specialized fields. The mission of the high school is to help young people having their targets and authorizing them to do their best with a career trajectory, a course of study includes the four subject areas: fundamental, exploration, physical education and art, life and culture. Even though students are able to choose from an array of classes that are of their interest, they must fulfill unit requirements. There are also standard and advanced coursework. The standard coursework covers core subjects that every student should complete—in order to equip them with basic academic skills. High school students are commonly expected to study increasingly long hours each year moving toward graduation, to become competitive and enter extremely attractive universities in Korea. According to Ministry of education, Special-purpose high schools are categorized into science high school, foreign language high school, international high school, arts high school, physical education high school, and customized industry high school. Admissions screening relies on a transcript, teacher recommendation letters, an interview, a performance report, and an assessment of self-directed learning and Vocational high schools produce creative and intelligent professionals through hands-on teaching and coaching toward aptitude development. In addition to core subjects—Korean, English, mathematics, and social studies, vocational high schools employ pragmatic programs according to their characteristics, such as manufacturing, agriculture/living industry, industry, commerce and information, fisheries/marine science, home economics/business. Admission eligibility is usually determined by a grade, an interview, and a performance.

EXAMS FOR HIGHER EDUCATION

CSAT (College Scholastic Ability Test)

It is delineated to measure students’ procurement of National Curriculum standards and scholastic ability required for college education. It is developed and managed by Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation (KICE), commissioned by the Ministry of Education. CSAT pursues to appraise high-order thinking skills in the six study areas - Language Arts, Mathematics, English, Korean History, Investigation and Second Foreign Languages/Chinese Characters & Classics.

Candidate must take Korean History as a compulsory subject and failing to take the exam will cancel the CSAT score report. The test is provided every year in November. According to KICE, the grades, ranging from 1 to 9, derive from the division of raw scores with pre-set cut score points. The grades represent the degree of achievement on the subject. The CSAT score of each test is a standard score calculated with the linear transformation method. Language Arts, Mathematics and English have a mean of 100 and a standard deviation of 20. Social Studies, Science, Vocational Education, Second Foreign Languages and Chinese Characters & Classics have a mean of 50 and a standard deviation of 10.

Ex : In language arts the number of items(The numbers represent the number of items in each subject, maximum raw score, and standard score) is 45. Maximum raw score is 100.As we know the mean and standard deviation of language art is 100 and 20. Then range will be - [Range = (test or subject mean) ± 5 X (test or subject standard deviation)].

CSAT Score Report includes the background information of students, the tests or subjects taken, standard score, percentile rank, and grades for each test or subject.

National level tests

Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation (KICE) conducts the designing, evolving, carving and attaining of various national-level tests in a fair, authentic and methodical approach.

 1). Public kindergarten, elementary, special (elementary & public kindergarten) teacher employment exam (annually): It is to hand-pick accomplished applicants for high school so as to encourage standardization of middle school education courses and to polish up the standards of education.

  2). The Secondary School Teacher Selection Test: It is to thrive high-quality commodity through a systematic process, to bestow equitable, unprejudiced, and valid data for teacher selection.

   3). Elementary, Middle, and High school Graduate Equivalency Tests for self-study students: KICE offers right set of circumstances for students who have failed to complete regular school education and nurtures the enhancement in the aspects of national education, contributing to equal education.

CURRICULUM

According to Korea’s Ministry of Education, a national curriculum has been implemented under Article 23 of Elementary and Secondary School Education Act. To keep up with changes, contemporary demands and newer fields of study, the curriculum is revised periodically. Till date, it has undergone revisions 10 times.

School System (2007)
Curriculum	Announced	Legislation	Curriculum	Features
1st	Apr. 20, 1954 Aug. 1, 1955	MOE Ordinance #35 MOE Ordinance #44 MOEOrdinance #45 MOE Ordinance #46	Ordinance on class time assignment Primary School Curriculum Middle School Curriculum High School Curriculum	·                       Curriculum centered around school education.
2nd	Feb. 15, 1963	MOE Ordinance #119 MOE Ordinance #120 MOE Ordinance #121	Primary School Curriculum Middle School Curriculum High School Curriculum	·                           Experiential Curriculum ·                           Chinese Letters education(72) ·                           Military Exercise(69)
3rd	Feb. 14, 1973 Aug. 31, 1973 Dec. 31, 1974	MOE Ordinance #310 MOE Ordinance #325 MOE Ordinance #350	Primary School Curriculum Middle School Curriculum High School Curriculum	·                           Curriculum focused on academic enrichment ·                           Ethics(73) ·                           Korean History(73) ·                           Japanese Language(73)

4th	Dec. 31, 1981	MOE Notice #442	Primary School Curriculum Middle School Curriculum High School Curriculum	·                           Emphasis on national spirit ·                           Reduction/coordination of learning amount ·                           Integrated curriculum management for 1st and 2nd year primary schools
5th	Mar. 31, 1987 Jun. 31, 1987 Mar. 31, 1988	MOE Notice #87-7 MOE Notice #87-9 MOE Notice #88-7	Primary School Curriculum Middle School Curriculum High School Curriculum	·                           Science High Schools and Arts High schools ·                           Integrated curriculum for primary schools ·                           New subjects: Information industry ·                           Emphasis on economics education ·                           Emphasis on regional characteristics
6th	Jun. 31, 1992 Sep. 31, 1992 Oct. 30, 1992 Nov. 1, 1995	MOE Notice #1992-11 MOE Notice #1992-16 MOE Notice #1992-19 MOE Notice #1995-7	Middle School Curriculum Primary School Curriculum High School Curriculum Primary School Curriculum	·                           Improvement of organization/management system ·                           Sharing roles among the government, region, and schools ·                           New subjects: Computer, environment, Russian language. areer/vocation ·                           Specialized subjects on foreign language ·                           Primary school English

7th	Dec. 31, 1997 Jun. 31, 1998	MOE Notice #1997-15 MOE Notice #1998-10 MOE Notice #1998-11	Primary/secondary curriculum Kindergarten curriculum Special education curriculum Vocational high school curriculum	·                           Curriculum centered around the students ·                           Curriculum on basic national curriculum ·                           Selection-based high school curriculum ·                           Level-based curriculum ·                           Establishment and expansion of independent activities ·                           Objective (Competence)-based Curriculum ·                           Expansion of regional and school independence
2007 Revised Curriculum	February 28, 2007. September 11, 2008 December 26, 2008	MEHRD Notice No. 2007-79 MEST Notice No. 2008-148 MEST Notice No. 2008-160	Elementary and secondary school curriculum, special education curriculum	·                           Enhance school autonomy in organizing and operating a curriculum ·                           Allow intensive programs by semester or year ·                           Integrate and unify high school electives ·                           Help students grow into intelligent, virtuous, and healthy individuals
2009 Revised Curriculum	March 6, 2009 December 23, 2009 May 12, 2010 January 27, 2011 February 24, 2011 August 9, 2011 March 21, 2012 July 9, 2012 December 7, 2012 December 13, 2012 December 18, 2013	MEST Notice No. 2009-10 MEST Notice No. 2009-41 MEST Notice No. 2020-24 MEST Notice No. 2011-5 MEST Notice No. 2011-13 MEST Notice No. 2011-361 MEST Notice No. 2021-3 MEST Notice No. 2012-14 MEST Notice No. 2012-29 MEST Notice No. 2012-31 MOE Notice No. 2013-7	Elementary and secondary school curriculum, special education curriculum	·                           Reduce heavy academic workload ·                           Present diverse and creative experiential activities ·                           Strengthen basic education and core competencies ·                           Enhance school autonomy in organizing and operating a curriculum

2015 Revised Curriculum

September 23, 2015 December 1, 2015 January 6, 2017 September 29, 2017 April 19, 2018 July 27, 2018 December 27, 2019 April 14, 2020 September 11, 2020 December 31, 2020

MOE Notice No. 2015-74 MOE Notice No. 2015-80 MOE Notice No. 2017-108 MOE Notice No. 2017-131 MOE Notice No. 2018-150 MOE Notice No. 2018-162 MOE Notice No. 2019-211 MOE Notice No. 2020-225 MOE Notice No. 2020-236 MOE Notice No. 2020-248

Elementary and secondary school curriculum, special education curriculum

·                           Produce creative convergence talent ·                           Realize happy learning by means of workload optimization and improved learning experience ·                           Implement a curriculum capable of promoting core competencies ·                           Reinforce foundational knowledge education in humanities, social studies, science, and technology ·                           Consolidate consistency in content, teaching, and assessment

Source: Ministry of Education, South Korea

The 14^th issue of KICCE (Korea Institute of Child Care and Education) Policy Brief informs that the Ministry of Education oversees kindergartens and the Ministry of Health and Welfare is in charge of child care centers. A “common course for 5-year-olds” across the country was adopted by the Korean government in May 2011. In July 2012, the Nuri curriculum directed towards kids of 3 to 5 years of age was adopted. In 2019, the Nuri curriculum underwent a revision through which it became binding on both child-care centers and kindergartens, thereby creating uniformity across public curriculum for the elementary levels. It also shifted the focus from teacher-led activities to child-led play.

SCHOOL CLUBS IN SOUTH KOREA

Various schools organize School Clubs for classes ranging from Elementary to High School. These activities performed in the clubs contribute immensely to the development of lifelong learning skills, enabling students to maximize their educational experience. Also known as ‘After School Programs’ the school clubs for elementary students are designed to enhance creativity, athletic movements along with leadership tactics from a young age. The clubs range from Art, Finger Knitting, Community Service to Robotics and Math Circles. Middle School Clubs focus more towards developing a sense of responsibility, create relationships and maintain balance in life. Along with Art Clubs, Middle School students can also enroll in Cooking, Performance and Debate Clubs. MUN Clubs along with Student Council clubs are provided as well. High School Clubs provide the students with an opportunity to pursue their passions outside of the classroom. It helps them towards choosing career paths and/or selecting Majors in Universities.  The clubs provide courses ranging from Robotics, STEM, Sports to Art and Music, along with Social Justice Clubs, and Community Service Clubs. Yongsan International School of Seoul provides with Honor Societies along with School Clubs to develop future leaders among the high school students. It has a wide range of clubs including Forensics, Law, Mock Trial and Bulls and Bears Club. Other schools providing Club facilities are Seoul International School, Korea International School, Seoul Academy, Sol International School to name a few.

VLOGGING- A RISING CULTURE AMONG SOUTH KOREAN STUDENTS

In recent years Vlogging has popularized itself to be one of the most prevalent forms of digital entertainment. South Korea ranks fifth in social media app expenditures with YouTube taking lead. Users spend most of their time on the app, spending an average of 39 hours per month.

With such an expansion of YouTube, the student community partakes heavily in the culture of vlogging. YouTubers can make money by placing advertisements in their videos if they have more than 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 valid public watch hours in the last 12 months. Moreover, one-person media channels are growing in popularity in Korea leading to its mounting interest among the students. The students aim not only for earnings but for sharing their lives on a global scale as well as for improving their grasp of English. Student vloggers focus on the intricacies of daily life. There are no in-your-face sponsorship plugs, extravagant vacations or excessive product hauls. Instead, these videos take the viewers through nostalgic school days, like waking up in the morning to get dressed up for school, stuffing breakfast hurriedly, attending classes and lunchbreaks consisting more of fun and less of food. The amateur video recordings and edits transform the whole video watching experience into an aesthetic one with a focus on the raw, simple moments of school life. There seems to be no supervision or restrictions regarding recording in school campuses, but it may vary. Classmates seem to be rather enthusiastic about their friend creating vlogs and they participate as well. Most of the viewers comment on how soothing and nostalgic it is going back to the school days, as well as some others comment how they wish to attend classes in Korea.

Apart from daily vlogs, another type of student vlogs is creating prominence- Study vlogs. Mainly ASMR videos, the videos are often silent, honing in on the distinct sound of pages, movement of pens, grinding of coffee. Some often have rain sounds in the background, some with calm music. The videos are mellow and aesthetic with multiple subtitles provided for international viewers. Viewers often comment how these aesthetic study vlogs help them in concentrating on their own studies.