¹Ù·Î°¡±â ¸Þ´º

¹Ù·Î°¡±â ¸Þ´º º»¹®³»¿ë ¹Ù·Î°¡±â ¸ÞÀθ޴º ¹Ù·Î°¡±â

ÁÖ¿ä¾È³»

HOME

FONT SIZE

  • Å©°Ô
  • 100% 110% 120% 130% 140%
  • ÀÛ°Ô

°æ±â¿Ü±¹¾î°íµîÇб³ ·Î°í

¸Þ´ºº¸±â
´Ý±â

¾ð·Ð¼ÓÀÇ °æ±â¿Ü°í

±ÛÀбâ

Á¦¸ñ
[09/03/26 THE KOREA TIMES]3Çгâ 3¹Ý Àå¿ì¿µ Çлý
À̸§
°ü¸®ÀÚ
µî·ÏÀÏ
2009-03-26


[Student Corner] ''Mom, Is My Dad Rich?''


Jang Woo-young
By Jang Woo-young

Koreans'' enthusiasm for education has been widely known. In the past, education was the only door for people to get out of the poverty, and now we all know the importance and power of learning. Without it, the kind of country we live in now would never have become a reality for us. However, are we still on the right track?

The U.S. President Obama''s recent comment lauding education in Korea put the country''s education fever under the spotlight again. The ongoing global recession, meanwhile, is making Korea seriously suffer both domestically and externally.

These two hot-potatoes may seem utterly awkward to be matched together, but they gave us a chance to seriously look into the paradox of Korea''s education.

According to statistical data from 2007 collected and presented by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Korea took first place in spending on private education, totaling 2.9 percent of GDP, while the government''s investment on public schooling took 17th place, with 4.6 percent of GDP. The amount of money spent on education just soared recklessly, now being measured up to 20.9 trillion won. What is the problem here?

Most of us must have heard of the expression The rich get richer and the poor get poorer.'''' If this does not come to you, a careful look into the struggle of schoolchildren to enter so-called top-notch universities is surely going to help.

Never satisfied with public education, students are eager to take private tutoring which is considered a matter of course. A survey by the National Statistical Office showed that 77 percent of all students in Korea are depending on at least one private lesson costing a monthly average of 233,000 won, which is never a small amount of money.

According to research by the Korean Educational Development Institute, the spending on private tutoring differed greatly depending on the location and father''s academic background, which means that students from poor households have far less opportunities than those who are better off. Who are they to blame for? Must the parents be blamed for their inability to support their children with private tutoring? What is worse is that in reality this ridiculous phenomenon will make a vicious circle through generations to come.

This inheritance of poverty'''' must be eradicated soon for our children, the next generations of Korea, to make something of their lives without thinking of the preposterous concerns.

There is no one person in particular or ''the one'' who you think can handle this problem. But for our country to extirpate this ugly cycle and take a valuable step forward, we all must always keep in mind and say aloud that this is not my problem, your problem or their problem, but ours.

xplizit@naver.com

Jang Woo-young is a third grade student at Gyeonggi Academy of Foreign Languages in Uiwang, Gyeonggi Province.

 
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/special/2009/03/139_41966.html
÷ºÎÆÄÀÏ