[How Is Your Dream?] "Fair Education for Everyone Is a Thing of the Past... It Feels Like a Broken Ladder"

Three Education Stakeholders: Students, Parents, Teachers
"Education Has Transformed from a Ladder for Social Mobility to a Means of Inheritance"

[Asia Economy Reporter Song Seung-yoon] The three main stakeholders in education?students, parents, and teachers?unanimously agree that "the idea that education is fair to everyone has long been a thing of the past." Education has become a means of perpetuating social class rather than a ladder for social mobility. Lee Byung-bok (32, pseudonym), a Korean language teacher at a high school in the Gyeonggi region, said, "In the past, education was almost the only ladder and pathway for social mobility, but these days it feels like a 'makeshift ladder' or a 'broken ladder'." He added, "If one sets their mind to it, it is entirely possible to concentrate credentials that help with college admissions on a particular student's school record. In fact, such things happen covertly, and factors that determine whether one can participate in this process include parental interest, social status, and economic power."

Students feel that unless their parents' influence is minimized, they cannot enter the university they want even if they try hard on their own. Jang Hyo-won (18, pseudonym), a high school student in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, said, "The biggest problem is that if your family is poor, the very will to become a 'dragon' from a young age is crushed," adding, "While some fall into despair thinking it won't work anyway, friends from wealthy families often have parents who create an environment to systematically build credentials through various experiences from an early age." Choi Chi-hyun (22, pseudonym), a student at Seoul National University, said, "What surprised me most after entering university was that most of my friends were from middle-class or higher backgrounds," and added, "Although not everyone is like that, it is actually easier to find those who have followed the so-called elite course than those who overcame difficult circumstances to enter Seoul National University."

Parents are calling for the urgent restoration of fairness in education. Lee Ji-sun (45, pseudonym), a parent raising a middle school son, said, "In neighborhoods mainly inhabited by low-income families, I often see teachers lacking motivation," adding, "Teachers are burdened with complaints and miscellaneous tasks related to disciplining problematic students, so they cannot fully concentrate on teaching." She continued, "The atmosphere is different even just by attending middle and high schools known as prestigious school districts in Seoul. How can anyone think education is fair when such differences exist even in public education?" Lee Hyo-mi (42, pseudonym), a parent of a high school son and a middle school daughter, said, "Everyone wants to send their children to good universities, but those who are struggling for survival often give up from the start," adding, "College admission policies change frequently, and while some have experts like managers to respond, others find it difficult to even understand what has changed."

Excluding political ideology is essential to restoring fairness in education. Park Jeong-hyun, a teacher at Mansu Buk Middle School in Incheon, said, "Education policies have changed too easily, and at some point, policies biased by ideology began to emerge," adding, "With policies constantly changing in a patchwork manner, even as a teacher, I am not sure what we are aiming for." Lee Jae-bong, a professor in the Department of Education at Ulsan University, criticized, "The progressive government is rationalizing its corruption and wrongdoing through factional logic," and added, "The ruling class is admitting their children to universities through illicit means or sending them to study abroad in the United States."

Civil society organizations related to education generally agreed that education has deteriorated into a means of perpetuating vested interests. They identified ‘diversity’ as the ultimate keyword for the future direction of Korean education.

Jo Seong-chul, spokesperson for the Korean Federation of Teachers' Associations, said, "I agree that it is becoming increasingly difficult for a 'dragon to emerge from a small stream,' but education remains an important ladder for social mobility," emphasizing, "Instead of education fixated on college admissions, the education system should be reorganized to provide diverse educational opportunities tailored to students' interests, abilities, and career paths, allowing them to choose various paths."