We all know how obsessed South Koreans (and Korean Americans) are with hagwons, or tutoring schools. We’re willing to bet that at least a quarter of you guys attended Elite, or some other equivalent, for S.A.T. prep, and probably half of you guys had private tutors at one point in your lives. It’s definitely become the norm in our community but the ubiquity of hagwons are (again) raising some concerns.
According to a recent article by The Washington Post, Lee Myung-bak’s administration is cracking down on the more intensive “cram schools,” many of which keep students at their desks until 10 p.m. The academic intensity that South Korean is known for is now experiencing somewhat of a backlash – the pressure to succeed academically is being attributed as one of primary causes for South Korea’s high suicide rate, as well as a plummeting birth rate (since all that extra education comes at a high financial cost). Experts also worry that all the focus on academics leaves no room for the cultivation of creativity.
According to a 2007 report by the Hyundai Research Institute, the average Korean family spends nearly 20 percent of its income on private tutoring – which means that as of right now, Korean families can’t afford to not send their children to hagwons – not if they want them to remain competitive with their peers.
Interestingly, the article also mentions that former D.C. schools chancellor Michelle Rhee’s brother, Brian Rhee, had his own hagwon, but was forced to shut down last spring when his more innovative and less driven techniques failed to appeal to parents.
I have to say – I spent a lot of my student life in hagwons and I didn’t hate it. I’m not sure whether it was absolutely necessary, but it wasn’t torturous. Then again – I grew up in America, with relatively understanding parents, and never felt the pressure to study at a hagwon until 10 p.m. What do you guys think? Are hagwons a necessary way to keep up, or just a waste of time and money?
