7 out of 10 Koreans Say "Educational Gap and Dependence on Private Education Have Worsened"

Survey Results for Students, Parents, and Teachers from Assemblyman Kang Deuk-gu's Office

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] A survey revealed that the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic has worsened the academic achievement gap among students and increased their dependence on private education.

On the 4th, Kang Deuk-gu, a member of the National Assembly's Education Committee from the Democratic Party of Korea, conducted a survey from the 16th to the 24th of last month targeting 22,544 students, parents, and teachers nationwide. The results showed that 71.1% responded that the academic achievement gap had worsened due to COVID-19.

More than 7 out of 10 respondents (72.8%) answered that the number of students struggling with basic learning had increased compared to before COVID-19. Only 9.3% answered otherwise.

Dependence on private education and student stress also increased. The proportion of respondents who said the tendency to rely on private education had intensified was 70.7%, while 10.5% answered it had not.

More than half (56.2%) agreed that students’ feelings of depression or stress increased due to COVID-19, and an even higher percentage (73.6%) responded that parents’ childcare burdens had increased.

Only 38.5% of respondents considered schools safe from COVID-19 infection. In particular, the agreement rate among students was 18.6%, which was less than half of the total.

Assemblyman Kang Deuk-gu said, "After COVID-19, the academic achievement gap and care gap have deepened, and the anticipated problems in the education field such as basic learning difficulties and dependence on private education have been clearly revealed. We will devote ourselves to closing the education gap so that education can be a ladder of hope, not a means of social class and wealth inheritance."

He added, "The focus of education policy in the COVID-19 era should be on closing the education gap, alleviating educational inequality, and protecting the educationally vulnerable. Especially, the 'education gap,' which can be called the most painful issue in our education policy."