[One Thousand Characters a Day] Professor Kim Nuri's 'Competitive Education is Barbarism' <1>

Editor's NoteToday, our classrooms are engulfed in chaos and helplessness. In a society where 'academic background' is almost the sole criterion for creating new status, class, and privilege, the education system fuels deadly competition toward top-tier universities. In such classrooms, children suffer from severe academic labor for 12 years, internalizing feelings of inferiority and humiliation as they are divided into a few winners and many losers. The cycle of unhappiness that begins in the classroom continues into society, plunging South Korea into a serious depression. Kim Nuri, a professor of German Language and Literature at Chung-Ang University and a humanist educator, diagnoses the root cause of the 'depressed nation' South Korea as extreme competition, especially competitive education. Through this book, she uncovers the true face of competitive education and proposes solutions to shift its paradigm. Word count: 965.

Generally, the word for education in the West is "education." Etymologically, the word "educate" combines "e," meaning "out," and "duce," meaning "to lead." In other words, it means "pull out." Thus, education means "to pull out" the inherent characteristics, tastes, tendencies, literacy, aptitude, talent, and genius within children.

In fact, every human being has their own unique tastes, tendencies, and talents. The reason humans are dignified may be because there is not a single person exactly the same as another. Even after we disappear, no human exactly like us will ever appear again in this universe. There was no one exactly like me in the past, and there will be none in the future.

Children are each a universe unto themselves and are potential geniuses with something unique. Education is the act of drawing out the unique qualities contained within such a one-of-a-kind existence. Each child has unique moments when they feel happiness. Capturing and helping to express the inherent, unique, and genius qualities within children is precisely what teachers must do?that is "education."

From this perspective, take a look at Korean education. Can this really be called education? In Korea, education is not about "pulling out" the unique potential inside children, but about "stuffing in" dead knowledge from outside. It is thoroughly anti-education. Not only is education that pulls out completely absent, but the exact opposite has been practiced, which is why I call it anti-education.

Is it that Koreans do not have diverse tendencies, desires, talents, and tastes? Of course not. Then why is it so difficult to find individuals with unique personalities, free spirits, or geniuses who break common sense in Korea? The reason is precisely the flawed education system.

－Kim Nuri, Competitive Education is Barbarism, Haenaem Publishing, 18,500 KRW