The education system in South Korea involves all age stages of human development. Already from a young age, little citizens of the Country of Morning Freshness study hard. Pre-school education of young Koreans is no less important than special or higher. After all, it was precisely in young years that the foundation for future education in Korea was laid.
South Korea's Education System: General Principles
The country of morning freshness has recently taken a leading position in many areas of human life. The state education system is no exception. She is clear, transparent, aimed at the comprehensive development of personality.
Analyzing the education system in South Korea, we can conclude: its citizens are crammed students. Koreans are able to gain knowledge for 11-12 hours a day. The main goal of most residents of the state is to get a quality education and master a good specialty.
However, entering a university after graduation is not so simple. There is only a bet on knowledge, and no patronage is valid. Throughout their studies, students diligently complete assignments, set up experiments, and conduct experiments on their own. The task of a teacher of higher education in South Korea is to give initial information on the subject and guide the student in the right direction. Further youth are given the opportunity to act independently.
The education system in South Korea is one of the best in the world. As a result, among citizens of other countries it is considered prestigious to study in the country of morning freshness.
Country Preschool Education
Education of citizens begins with young nails. Modern parents, wanting to stimulate the early development of their children, can give their child from a three-day age to a day nursery. Here, kids will master the first skills of self-care and communication with others. At the age of three, the first lessons of writing, reading, and counting begin for tomboys. At the same time, foreign (usually English) language is introduced into the training.
In general, all kindergartens in South Korea are divided into three types:
- Day nursery.
- Middle groups.
- Senior preschoolers.
In addition to compulsory subjects, pre-school education in Korea involves physical education, music, basic safety, outdoor games and swimming in the pool. Kindergarten teachers regularly meet with parents of their wards, conduct consultations and explanatory conversations with them. It can be concluded that from infancy, young Koreans learn to be responsible for academic knowledge.
Studying in elementary school
South Korean schoolchildren must go through three stages of education. This is a visit to primary school, high school and high school.
In the first stage, students must learn such compulsory subjects as:
- Native (Korean) language.
- Foreign language (mainly English).
- Social Studies.
- Maths.
- Musical lessons.
- Art.
- Physical education.
The first three years of primary school, students are wards of one mentor. Recently, following the trends of technological progress, a robot can come to the aid of a living teacher, which announces the topic of the lesson and sets out the basic postulates. In a high-tech country in all educational institutions (from elementary to higher education) high-speed Internet is conducted.
Another innovation in modern education in South Korea is the rejection of physical punishment. Until the beginning of the 2000s, in order to educate students' obedience, disciplinary duties included strokes with a pointer (individual approach) and group punishment, for example, the whole lesson, all children stand with their hands up for the misconduct of their classmate.
The modern school of South Korea involves the unification of students of both sexes in one class. Until recently, girls studied separately from boys.
Teen Education
Primary school includes 6 classes. After completing the first stage of education, students are transferred to the middle level at the place of residence. You do not need to take exams for admission. The exception is specialized secondary schools with in-depth study of a particular subject. For example, in South Korea, there are educational institutions that teach gifted children (art, music, etc.).
Secondary school is divided into two levels: the first three years are compulsory for everyone.
In Korea’s secondary school, in addition to the main subjects, the following are also added:
- Exact sciences - mathematics, physics.
- Aesthetic knowledge.
- Elective subjects, focusing on a future profession.
- Classes that shape the identity of a citizen of the Country of morning freshness (for example, the history of his people, the study of the political situation, etc.).
A hallmark of a high school student is wearing a particular shape, hairstyle and shoes. Teens take 6 lessons of 45 minutes each, five days a week. Sometimes additional lessons can be added - zero and seventh. Extracurricular education involves visiting all kinds of circles, tutors. Popular additional classes of school education in Korea are general development courses - music, drawing, traditional calligraphy, ballet. No less important for the formation of intelligence of young Koreans is considered mastery of computer literacy.
Old school
Moving to the last school level, Korean high school students must go through two levels of study. The first is general education and lasts two years. Such schools do not provide any specialized knowledge. Subjects taught in such institutions will be further studied at institutes and universities.
The second stage of high school in the educational system of Korea is aimed at mastering a certain specialty. In such educational institutions, there are ratings and difficult examinations that students must constantly pass in order to prove their right to continue studying.
As a continuation of high school in Korea, there are a variety of technical schools and schools. After them, the educational life of Koreans does not end. Anyone who has completed such an institution and has received a certain specialty can try his hand and go to college.
Higher educational institutions of the country
There are many people who want to get higher education in South Korea. About 99% of the population dream of learning further after completing the first stage of high school. The number of university entrants makes it possible for the country to get into the top ten countries in the world by this indicator. Even Japan and Great Britain go after the Country of morning freshness.
The training of university graduates in South Korea consists of several stages:
- Bachelor. To obtain a bachelor's degree, you need to study for three years. The exception is students who receive a medical education in Korea. Future doctors must study for six years.
- Master Here you need to study for three to four years. All students applying for a master's degree must defend a dissertation, and future doctors must pass a national exam.
- Doctoral studies. Doctoral candidates have been studying for four years. Future scholars should conduct research and defend a dissertation during their studies.
In addition to universities, the higher education system in Korea includes vocational colleges, pedagogical institutes and religious educational institutions.
To enter a higher education institution, high school students must pass final exams and a national exam. Some universities also conduct additional tests for applicants.
The main criterion for further employment is the prestige of the university.
An interesting fact is that almost 80% of higher education institutions in Korea are private.
It is difficult, but possible, to enter a state university.
By the way, in the country it is considered a great shame the expulsion of a young man from the student ranks or ranking him among the underperforming.
Employers in advance look at various higher educational institutions and make an order for a particular specialty. At the same time, no patronage will help to get a prestigious job.
Education after high schools
After basic studies at an institute or university, yesterday's students have the opportunity to enroll in a magistracy or graduate school. To obtain a master's degree, you must complete six courses in two years and write a scientific work, which will become the basis for the thesis.
Graduate studies, like graduate studies, are funded by the South Korean Government Global Scholarship Program. Students receive a scholarship, and all the work of teachers is paid at the expense of the state.
There is also tuition for a fee after graduation. Its cost ranges from 1.5 to 4.5 thousand dollars.
After graduating in South Korea, graduates can continue their studies directly in their native university. The fact is that the state obligated each similar institution to open at least one post-graduate and master's department. Thus, the image of the country as one of the most enlightened in the world is supported.
The basic principles of education of citizens of the DPRK
The Soviet school had a huge impact on the organization of education in North Korea. And if today in Russia big changes have been made to school education, then students in the DPRK are forced to follow the old program.
The education system in North Korea includes compulsory schooling levels. This is one preparatory class, four elementary and six years of high school. Most citizens of the country go to work after secondary education. More affluent and smarter are entering universities.
The subjects of the school curriculum are simple and academic. These are mathematics, native language, foreign (mainly Russian or English), geography, literature (native and western), history (domestic and world-wide).
In addition, students are required to attend all kinds of courses: “Communist morality”, “Politics of the Communist Party”, “Life of the great Kim Il Sung”, etc. Such items make up no more than 6% of the total program.
The entire school curriculum is subordinated to the basic principles of the DPRK policy. For example, the citizens of the country are convinced that the Korean war was not unleashed by North, but South Korea, and abroad people suffer from the "horrors of the capitalist system."
Two Koreas - two education systems: the main differences
Analyzing the training principles of the two countries, we can see the following differences:
- The entire education system in North Korea is aimed at forming a “gray mass”, a person who is not a sovereign individual, but will become a part of the majority of society — citizens who are ready to serve the party and government faithfully.
- All North Koreans must be wary of everything American and hate imperialism.
- Oddly enough, the inhabitants of North Korea are hostile to their immediate neighbors - citizens of the Country of Morning Freshness. The reason for this contempt is the same desire of the South Koreans for everything American.
- Schoolchildren in North Korea are required to join the Union of Children from the age of ten and put on red ties. This brings the education system even closer to studying in the USSR.
- On the contrary, in South Korea, a person’s individuality and his desire to learn, not for the sake of obligation, but for his own development, are most welcome.
- The formation of citizens of the Land of Morning Freshness begins in early childhood. Moreover, special attention is paid to the study of foreign languages. So the state is concerned that in the future its citizens should be sought-after specialists in any country, without any special personal inconvenience. After all, one who knows the language of the country can not spend money on a translator.
- If in North Korea all that is needed is schooling to succeed, more than 90% of the citizens of a neighboring country have graduated.
- North Korea is a sufficiently militarized country. The first children's toys, as a rule, pistols and tanks.
- Higher education in Korea, in the South, is the goal of all young people, while North Koreans strive to faithfully serve the country's leadership immediately after graduation.
Education in Korea for foreigners
Education in the Country of morning freshness is open to citizens of other countries. In addition to the exotic nature of Korea, study for foreign students is also attractive because the state takes 14th place in terms of economic indicators. As a result, the country bears the proud title of “Asian Tiger”.
Education in South Korea is not inferior in quality to the education of the most developed countries - the UK, Japan, etc. The bulk of foreign students are citizens of the countries of the former Soviet Union.
Education in Korea for Russians, Ukrainians, Belarusians, Kazakhs, etc. is free. Moreover, in some countries (in particular, in Russia) since 2018, applicants can enter a Korean university in their country through special training courses.
Another important step in preparing for admission to a Korean educational institution is the preparation of a package of documents. An official request to a foreign university provides an opportunity to clarify the availability of training programs for foreigners. Also, upon admission, it is recommended to learn about the existence of training grants.
The mandatory list of documents for prospective students includes:
- Summary.
- Photocopies of certificates that confirm the level of proficiency in a foreign language.
- An extract from an educational institution.
- Motivation letter.
To go to Korea to study, you must open a student visa. To do this, the following documents are required:
- Civil and foreign passports.
- Profile.
- Bank statement, which indicates the availability of the required amount of money.
- Photocopies of the certificate and diploma, which are officially certified.
- Statement on admission to a South Korean university.
- Receipts for payment for future studies.
- Medical insurance policy.
- Two photos.
- If the applicant has not reached the age of majority - a birth certificate and permission of the parents to leave, certified by a notary.