Would longer school days keep kids out of private academies? Korea weighs controversial fix
The National Education Commission is debating extending the school day for first- and second-graders, sparking a clash between policymakers and educators. Supporters argue that aligning instruction time with the OECD average will reduce parents' reliance on private tutoring centers, known as hagwons in Korean. However, teachers' groups warn that longer classes will merely delay the daily…
The National Education Commission in Korea is considering extending school hours for first and second graders, igniting a debate between policymakers and educators. Proponents contend that increasing instructional time to match the OECD average would lessen the need for private tutoring centers, referred to as hagwons in the country.
Nevertheless, teacher unions express concern that longer classes may simply prolong the after-school hagwon routine without addressing the fundamental issue of inadequate after-school care. On Thursday, the commission convened a policy forum alongside the National Assembly Futures Institute and the Korean Educational Development Institute to discuss the proposal.
This marked the commission's inaugural public discussion on broadening the school day for young learners. Critics argue that shorter school days place a significant burden on working parents. Researchers Hwang In-hyeok and Seong Mun-ju, from the National Assembly Futures Institute, presented statistics indicating a substantial disparity in instructional time.
Korean elementary students accrue 655 hours of instruction annually, falling short of the OECD average of 845 hours by approximately 22 percent or 190 hours.
Written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
