As reported by the Chosun Ilbo, 60 percent of freshmen admitted to Seoul National, Yonsei and Korea Universities in 2009 came from the capital city of Seoul and the immediately surrounding metropolitan area. The largest proportion came from the upscale Gangnam area of Seoul, followed by Seocho, another upscale district.
An article in The Korea Herald today provides some useful detail on the increase in spending on private education in South Korea. Government data showed yesterday that the gap in private education spending between the wealthy and the poor widened last year, raising fears that the economic slump may hit children of low-income families more severely.
According to data by the Bank of Korea and the National Statistical Office, the top 20 percent households in terms of income spent 6.9 times more on private education than the bottom 20 percent in 2008, up from 5.9 times a year earlier. The corresponding figure has continuously risen from 5.3 in 2003, except for the year 2006 with 6.6.
By region, monthly expenditure per student in Seoul was 2.4 times larger than that in smaller towns, or Myeons and Eups, in 2008, up 2.3 times in 2007, the NSO said.
Although the government has been putting ever more emphasis on English education in public schools, spending for private English education rose by the most in terms of subject.
The private education spending for English rose by 11.8 percent, while that of other subjects, like Korean essay writing, fell by 10 percent, the NSO survey showed.
Educational attainment was also a significant factor in deciding the amount of private education spending. Mothers with degrees from graduate schools spent 398,000 won a month on private education in 2008, whereas those with high school degrees spent half of that, or 201,000 won, the survey showed.
According to a report in the Korea Times, spending on private tutoring in South Korea topped US $14 billion in 2008. This amounted to a 7.6 percent increase from the previous year. Spending on private education has been rising sharply since 2001 when it stood at 8.11 trillion won. In 2003, the figure exceeded the 10 trillion won mark before growing to 12.86 trillion won in 2004 and 13.75 trillion won in 2005. The spending rose to 15.65 trillion won in 2006.
This is just the latest evidence that Korean parents continue to sacrifice greatly for their children’s education.
The Wall Street Journal reports that the number of Chinese and Middle Eastern students applying for fall admission to U.S. graduate programs surged, while applications from India and South Korea fell, according to a survey by the Council of Graduate Schools.
The council, which represents more than 500 higher-education institutions in the U.S. and Canada, said foreigners’ applications for 2009 graduate-school admissions rose 4% from the year before. That compares with increases of 6% in 2008, 9% in 2007 and 12% in 2006. Foreigners’ applications to universities that offer doctoral programs rose 5%, but foreigners’ applications declined 17% at universities that offer master’s as their highest degree. The council survey of U.S. institutions, which fielded more than 400,000 applications in all, showed growth of applications from China along with the Middle East and Turkey, up 16% and 20% from 2008, respectively. But applications from India and South Korea fell 9% and 7%, respectively.
The Korea Times carried a summary of South Korean students’ performance on the TOEFL test, compared with test takers from other countries. Not surprisingly, their speaking proficiency remains nearly at the bottom. Korean TOEFL test takers ranked 136th out of 161 nations in speaking skills. However, Koreans overall TOEFL score stood at 78 out of 120, placing the country 89th, also lower than the world average of 79. In 2007, they scored 77. Listening and writing scores were 19 and 20 each, compared with the world’s average of 19.5 and 20.5, respectively. Koreans beat the world average only in reading, at 20, compared with the global average of 19.4.
Korea has the world’s largest number of TOEFL test takers. More than 90 percent of elementary school students receive private English education, and last year the amount of money spent on English education reportedly reached 15 trillion won.