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Students wait for a bus to return home after night classes at private cram schools in Secho-dong, southern Seoul. A presidential advisory body's plan to ban hagwon from operating over 10 p.m. is triggering confusion among parents and students. / Korea Times File |
Education Ministry Negative About Restricting Private Cram School Hours
By Kang Shin-who
Staff Reporter
`Hagwon Curfew' plan has created discord between Education authorities and Cheong Wa Dae, confusing parents and students. Last month, Kwak Seung-jun, head of the President Council for Future and Vision, announced, in an interview with a local media last month a plan to legalize restraining private cram schools from running after 10 p.m. as an effort to reduce private education cost.
In response, governing and opposition parities criticized Kwak in a voice that he overstepped his authority causing confusion of government policy. Education Minister Ahn Byong-man also said the ministry needs to cautiously approach the matter due to side effects caused by the plan.
After then, President Lee Myung-bak commented that Kwak is not in a position to deal the plan and instructed the ministry to give shape to the plan. The ministry officials and governing Grand National Party were supposed to have a meeting Wednesday to discuss about reduction of private education cost including the hagwon curfew plan, but the meeting was canceled and postponed indefinitely, indicating that politicians and education have failed to make consensus.
According to the National Statistical Office, three out of four students here are receiving private education monthly paying 233,000 won on average, which shows many youngsters are stressed out due to severe competitions.
Policy Inconsistency
Now many are questioning whether the hagwon curfew plan will be enforced or not. Currently each city and province education offices are restraining hagwon hours in their ordinances.
For example, Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education is banning private cram schools running after 10, while Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education set the limited hour at 11 p.m. for middle school students. However, it is hard for a small number of education officials to supervise and control tens of thousands private education institutes in the nation.
Regarding the concerns on difficulties in monitoring the large number of private cram schools, Kwak suggested to mobilize policemen in cracking down hagwon violating the limited hours and also introduce incentive system for those who report such hagwon.
However, many hagwon owners are opposing the plan. ``Korea will be the only and absurd country where policemen curb students who want to learn more,'' said a hagwon owner in Busan, southeasterner port city.
Another hagwon runner in Gyeonggi Province said ``The government is claiming the restriction is to protect health of our juveniles, but many high schools have already kept students stay at schools until 10 p.m. or 11 p.m. The curfew will also drive many students attend hagwon in the early morning and weekends.''
Some parents are also pessimistic about the plan. ``Soaring private education cost is not solely caused by running hours of hagwon but it is matter of education environment and college admission system,'' said a mother of middle school student in Seoul.
Another parent in Gyeonggi said ``The government should remember private education market on English saw the biggest growth among subjects. This is because the Lee Myung-bak administration has reinforced English education from elementary schools.''
Some education specialists point out the government doesn't have consistent education policy. ``Lee Myung-bak government has stressed `autonomy' and `competition' on education fields, and now it is trying to curb private education market. If the government's policy is not consistent, it cannot gain trust from people,'' said a college professor in Seoul.
kswho@koreatimes.co.kr
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경찰, 이태원 등 외국인 밀집지역 특별관리
