Fulbright U.S. Education Center

CNN and other media covered the inauguration last week of a new English Education City on the island province of Jeju.  The central idea of the project is to create a city where elementary, middle and high schools—and eventually universities–teach all of their courses in English.  Top-notch schools from outside Korea are being invited to participate in the project.  One of the first is Britain’s North London Collegiate School.

The English Education City aims to reduce the need for Korean families to send their children oveseas for an English-language education.  Jeju officials say annual tuition will be somewhere between U.S. $3,100 and U.S. $4,700 or about half the amount South Korean parents would be paying to send their children overseas.

The English language market in Korea has already resulted in 21 “English Villages” around the country. Next month, an English village capable of schooling some 5,000 children will open in the southern city of Keoje.  Although more such projects are popping up, the Jeju Global Education City is by far the most ambitious.

As reported in the Korea Times today, Korea ranked second from the bottom worldwide in the General Training Module (GTM) for the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), according to the British Council.  The number of Koreans taking IELTS increased to 27,000 last year, up from 23,000 in 2007 and 14,000 in 2006.   Last year Korean test takers gained an average score of 5.33 out of 9 on the GTM, up 0.12 from the previous year.   This placed it ahead of only the United Arab Emirates, which had an average score of 4.55.   Testing experts claim that Korea’s low scores are partly due to the large number of elementary and middle school students who take the test.

IELTS tests are held in over 500 centers around the world and some 12 million people take the test every year.

I’m here at the NAFSA: Association of International Educators conference in Los Angeles.   There is a great deal of interest in educational exchange between the United States and Korea.  Two topics that are receiving considerable attention in panels and presentations this year are (1) the internet and cyber-promotion and delivery of education and (2) the growing number of state and regional consortia being formed to help promote education in the U.S.   Just yesterday I learned that a “Study Rhode Island” consortia has been formed consisting of eight RI universities and colleges.   This morning (Thursday) I’m going to attend a session that discusses the role of government in consortia, such as the new Study New York group that is being formed.   More on this in later posts.

A note to the many people I’ve met at NAFSA:  please return to this blog for information on South Korea’s education sector and feel free to submit your comments, advice and questions.

The heavy reliance of South Korean students on private educational institutes to supplement what they learn in public schools is a major news item these days.  As reported in the Joongang Daily, “The Education Ministry and lawmakers from the ruling Grand National Party yesterday agreed to withdraw the proposal by a high-ranking Blue House official to prohibit private education institutes, or hagwon, from having classes after 10 p.m., ending a month-long controversy. ”

However, the same meeting to resolve the matter also produced a range of reform measures on the admissions system for foreign language and science high schools, as part of the government’s agenda to battle private-education fever.   This remains a major issue in South Korea’s education sector.

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 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.

The Chosun Ilbo reports today that the Korean government has designated eight universities as IT Research Centers (ITRCs), with a view to developing IT-based core technologies and nurturing high-quality human resources with master’s or doctorate degrees. The new ITRCs are Sogang University (S/W verification engineering technology), Korea Maritime University (oceanic LED light), Kyunghee University (ubiquitous IPTV), Chonnam National University (mobile phone interface), Chungbuk National University (hybrid vehicle energy), Kookmin University (Energy and IT convergence), Chosun University (real-time IT), and Gyeongsang National University (aviation S/W).

The government plans to provide each ITRC with an annual budget of W500-800 million for up to four years (US$1=W1,349).

The local press, including the Korea Times, are covering an OECD study that shows Korean schools to be more crowded than schools in other OECD nations. There are 31.6 students on average per class in elementary schools here, much higher than the OECD average of 21.5.  According to the National Statistical Office (NSO) yesterday, the number of students per teacher in elementary, middle and high schools stood at 26.7, 20.8 and 15.9, respectively, higher than the OECD average of 16.2, 13.3 and 12.6.   The number of students per class and per teacher will reach the OECD average in three to nine years if the government continues to hire new teachers and construct new schools at the current pace.  “There will likely be more teachers and schools than needed nationwide, beginning from 2012, because of declining birthrates. By 2030, the government will be forced to close some schools and lay off teachers, with Korean women having fewer babies. The focus should shift to providing high-quality educational services from building new schools and employing more teachers,” an NSO official said.