April 8, 2024
By Juah Choi
Last year, in Korea, private education expenses for elementary, middle, and high schools reached an all-time high of 27 trillion won. Teachers' organizations criticized the government's education policy as a failure.
The government has set a target of tying private education expenses within 24.2 trillion won, but the results are the largest ever for the third consecutive year, the Federation of Teachers' Unions said.
According to the 2023 survey on private education expenses for elementary, middle, and high schools released by the National Statistical Office, the total amount of private education expenses for students last year was about 27.1 trillion won, an increase of 4.5% compared to 2022.
This is the highest level since 2007, when related statistics began to be compiled.
The Teachers' Union Federation said, "There may be several factors that cause private education costs to skyrocket, but representatively, distrust of public education and sudden change in the college entrance environment can be cited," adding, "For the internalization of public education, the budget and manpower support for the regular curriculum should be supported."
"However, the education authorities are always asking for temporary measures such as reducing the number of teachers in kindergartens, elementary schools, and high schools while pouring enormous budgets and manpower into spring schools," he criticized.
"The government's active efforts are needed to internalize public education and operate it normally," he said. "To fundamentally solve the problem of private education expenses, education reform is needed to resolve competitive education centered on entrance exams."