[Open Forum] Public Education Needs Reform Now

Public education has collapsed. Both students and schools are suffering. Many people no longer trust public education and rely on private tutoring instead. And they believe that to resolve this situation, private tutoring must be curbed. The Act on the Normalization of Public Education also emerged in this context. However, they need to change their perspective. What public education needs now is reform.

The essence of education is the development of ability. Through school, students learn what they need and cultivate their capabilities. Current public education seems to have forgotten this essence. Students’ abilities vary enormously. Schools need to understand the differences among students and develop and provide education suited to each individual. But public education does not take this into account at all. It gives every student the same education on the same schedule. In the name of providing equal education, it fails to respect the views of individual students. Even though each student has different things they want to learn in school, the classes they receive are merely monotonous and identical.

In addition, students are not guaranteed freedom of choice. What does that mean for students? It means the right to choose their school. Every school naturally has its own characteristics. Taking these differences into account, students should be able to choose the school that suits them. By choosing a school that fits them, they can enjoy more learning opportunities that are right for them. Furthermore, schools should also have the right to choose students. By asking, “Is this student a good fit for our school?” schools would select students and provide high-quality education for those they admit.

The biggest problem is the standardization of schools. As standardization has taken hold, schools simply carry out the curriculum according to the Ministry of Education’s guidelines. This is excessive control by the Ministry of Education. Schools should be able to decide for themselves what to teach students and how much to teach. They should provide different education according to students’ levels so that all students can have equal opportunities to learn. At present, public education does not take into account the severe gaps among students at all. For some, the material is so easy that there is no need to learn it, while for others it is so difficult that they are effectively denied the opportunity to learn. If standardization were dismantled and schools were given autonomy, the quality of public education would improve. Schools would autonomously organize subjects in consideration of differences in academic ability and students’ aptitudes. In this way, schools would naturally provide classes suited to their students. Students as well would be able to think more deeply about what learning they need, and choose their schools and courses accordingly.

Public education needs reform. As noted above, there are many reasons why public education is seen as failing. But the solution is simple. The Ministry of Education must reduce its control and increase school autonomy. Students must be able to choose schools, and schools must also be able to choose students. The curriculum, too, must be freed from control so that schools can design and offer it themselves. Enhancing school autonomy is the path to improving the quality of public education, and through reform of public education, private tutoring will naturally disappear.

Kangmin Kim, Intern Researcher, Center for Free Enterprise (CFE)

Original title: [자유발언대] 공교육은 지금 개혁이 필요하다

Author: Kang-min Kim

Date: 2023-11-10

Source: https://www.cfe.org/bbs/bbsDetail.php?cid=free_opinion&pn=5&idx=26129