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The story behind the education boom: Why are South Korean children under such tremendous academic pressure?
South Korea is known for its high emphasis on education. The rigorous and competitive education system has caused many students to suffer tremendous stress and anxiety since childhood. In this society, the competition to get into top universities has intensified, causing countless children to accumulate excessive anxiety and stress. As academic achievement is closely related to social status, academic achievement has become a symbol of family glory, and parents have implicitly placed great expectations on the next generation.
In South Korea, education is regarded as a key factor in social mobility, and school achievement directly affects a family's social status and future career development.
Today's South Korean education system regards the university entrance exam (suneung) as a major event in a student's life. This exam is believed to determine the student's future. For South Korean students, the result of an exam not only affects their academic career, but may also affect the direction of their entire life. The deep-rooted craze for education and the pursuit of success has led many children to enter cram schools from an early age and strive to squeeze into the top universities.
Children's lives are occupied by study and tutoring, and the expectations of school and family make them have to fight in intense competition.
School education is important, but the role of family cannot be ignored. Many parents have high expectations for their children's academic achievement, often setting goals that are beyond their ability. Society's high regard for education has also caused many young people who have not entered college to feel heavy social pressure. This social bias imposes additional discrimination on those who fail to attend university, exposing them to employment difficulties and a decline in social class.
According to statistics, South Korea invested 5.4% of its GDP in education in 2016, which is much higher than the OECD average. These data reflect South Korea's long-term investment in education and the rigorous learning atmosphere among students. Even so, fierce competition and an excessive pursuit of academic achievement make schools a hotbed of anxiety, further causing frustration among students who do not perform as well as expected.
Many parents and students believe that entering a prestigious school opens the door to success in life. This concept is deeply ingrained in the entire society.
In addition to academic pressure, the overall educational environment in South Korea has had a lot of impact on students’ mental health. Data show that South Korea has a high suicide rate among teenagers, partly due to pressure from academic pressure and competition for jobs. Children often feel lonely and helpless in the process of pursuing academic achievement. Many even believe that the achievements and efforts around them are the only criteria for judging their own worth.
South Korea has one of the highest educational attainment rates in the world, but criticism of the education system has arisen. Many experts believe that this highly competitive environment is not conducive to the cultivation of creativity and the development of personality.
In order to avoid this uneven development, some experts have called for reforming the current education system and advocating diversified education including art and innovation to promote the all-round development of students so that students are not just regarded as examination machines .
We need to rethink our expectations of education and how to build a healthier learning environment to reduce children's anxiety and stress.
The conclusion inevitably raises the issues of the current education system, and through the discussion of the education boom in South Korea, outlines the contradiction between current social expectations and actual conditions. As all sectors of society attach great importance to educational content, how should future education reforms be carried out to better meet the needs of families and society?
