KOREA EDUCATION SYSTEM

Dear Professor Olga Alonsabe,

Good day!

We fly again this time to Korea. It’s a great chance to travel different countries, studying their educational system like Korea through imagination only.
Education in Korea is viewed crucial for success and competition is too hot. Korea’s educational process is being oversight by centralized administration from kindergarten to final high school. Korea has only 5 core subjects taught in the school unlike the Philippines, it is congested because of its 8 core subjects taught in the school. Korea has not much given emphasis on Physical Education that is why their facilities in gymnasium are lacking and not that advance unlike the Philippines, it is included in the curriculum and made into a subject for more emphasis even if facilities are also lacking.

Korea was the first country in the world to provide high-speed internet access from every primary, junior, and high school because their technology is somewhat advance. Korea has different academic year from the Philippines because of the fact that they have different seasons, their climate is different which they only have 2 seasons; the wet and dry.

If the Philippines has Department of Education, they also have Ministry of Education, Science and Technology who is responsible for educational system.
Korea’s educational system is the same with the other countries but not so much with the Philippines when it comes to number of years students stay in the school. Korea’s elementary years is 6, secondary is divided in to 2; 3 years for middle and 3 years high school, its equivalent is junior and senior high school with some other countries. But with the Philippines plan of implementing the new educational system which is patterned from Australia which has a superior educational system, the K+12, like almost any other country’s system of education, we will somehow equal if not top.

Korea’s kindergarten pupils are catered in the private schools. Their kindergarten like public schools in the Philippines is also universal but not true to the private schools. Pupils who belong to upper class are taught in English language but for the lower class Korean is the only medium of instruction used in school because learning English language is too expensive. Korean students study very hard in school. It is not normal to them to come home early; usually they come late because of the extra curricular activities related to school and some tutorial classes. From Kindergarten to high school, matriculating through the grade levels is not determined on knowledge, grades or passing of any tests, but it is based purely upon the student’s age unlike the Philippines, grading system is done either by letter code or number with 75% is the passing rate.

I realized that Philippine educational system is relaxed. We are so privileged because our lifestyle is not that tight unlike Korean and Japan systems. But we abused this system and made us unproductive (most to speak) I think this is about time to discipline ourselves and this must start from within us. We lack models to really exercise these things. If Korean can do this, so Filipino can also. I think if discipline is present we can be more productive than Koreans because I believe that working at the right amount of time with the right attitude can bring impact result rather than to choke one to force working without the passion of what he is doing. Consider Japan, suicidal rate is high because life there is so stressful with no enough outlets.

Bernadette Edago- Calvo