[Education in Korea Loses Its Way] ⑤ Only 2 Out of 100 Parents Say "Public Education Is Doing Well"... Private Education Costs in Seoul Exceed 1 Million Won

Highest Proportion of High School Parents Say "Not Doing Well at All"
Schools Rated Highly for "Strengthening Career Education"
Average Monthly Private Education Cost for Seoul High School Students: 1.02 Million Won

How is public education evaluated? In relation to this, a survey found that only 2 out of 100 parents with children in elementary, middle, or high school rated public education as "doing very well." This was revealed in an educational opinion poll conducted by the Korea Educational Development Institute, which surveyed 777 parents of elementary, middle, and high school students last year. Only 18.5% responded that public education was "doing well," meaning that just 1 in 5 parents gave a positive assessment of public education.

In the same survey, 7.5% of respondents said public education was "doing very poorly," while 22.1% said it was "not doing well," resulting in a total negative evaluation rate of 29.6%. The proportion of parents who said public education was not doing well was more than 9 percentage points higher than those who said it was doing well. The remaining respondents answered that it was "average" (49.9%).

The survey also asked what high schools should do to be evaluated as performing well. Among the parents who responded, the largest proportion, 25.2%, said that "career education, including guidance for further studies and employment, should be strengthened." This was followed by "customized counseling and student guidance activities" for students (13.4%), "improving evaluation methods focused on student growth" (12.1%), "improving the quality of lesson content and teaching methods" (11.5%), and "securing and deploying excellent teachers" (8.1%). The response rates for items related to further studies were particularly high.

When asked, "If you could freely choose the high school your child would attend, what would you prioritize most?" the highest proportion of parents, 25.8%, answered "career guidance." This was followed by "track record of students advancing to higher-level schools" at 11.3%, and "quality of teachers" at 10.3%.

Negative evaluations of public education increased at higher school levels. The negative evaluation rate for elementary education was 24.2%, for middle school education it was 29.6%, and for high school education it reached 35.8%, the highest among the three. This increase in negative evaluation is interpreted as being related to university admissions. It can be understood as meaning that public education alone is seen as insufficient to meet expectations for university entrance results. Parents also cited "guaranteeing students' basic academic abilities" (20.2%) as the most necessary measure to strengthen the substance of public education.

This negative perception of public education ultimately leads parents and students to turn to private education. According to the "2024 Survey on Private Education Expenses for Elementary, Middle, and High School Students" recently released by Statistics Korea, the average monthly private education expense per high school student was 520,000 won, the highest among the groups. For elementary students, the expense was 442,000 won, and for middle school students, it was 490,000 won. In particular, the average monthly private education expense for high school students in Seoul was 1,029,000 won.