Why are Korean parents clashing with schools over help for struggling students?
A student receives basic academic instruction in Hangeul and arithmetic at Seohung Elementary School in Dong-gu, Incheon, in February 2023. Korea Times photo by Choi Ju-yeon
"Isn't making him stay after school child abuse?”
A parent shouted after an elementary school teacher in Gwangju, who asked to be identified only as A, said the child needed extra support because he lacked basic academic ability.
The child was in the third grade, and though he was not from a multicultural family, his ability to interpret Hangul was falling behind. At the third-grade level, students typically begin formal subject-based learning, underscoring the need for urgent intervention.
But the parent refused, arguing that the recommendation amounted to stigmatizing the child and complained that the school had neglected the issue for the past two years. She hung up, then called back demanding to speak with the child’s homeroom teacher from the previous year.
It is a familiar clash that plays out every March, when basic academic skills assessments are conducted nationwide. Fearing that their children will be branded as falling behind, some parents reject the extra classes their children desperately need, while teachers try to persuade them.
The situation has escalated to the point that the Ministry of Education has been asked to revise the law so that schools can provide additional learning support without parental consent when a student is found to be below basic proficiency.
A homeroom teacher and a co-teacher instruct students in a classroom at an elementary school in Seoul in April 2021. Korea Times file photo
Calls to allow remedial courses without parental consent
The National Council of Governors of Education said Wednesday that it had recently sent a request to the education ministry seeking revisions to provisions under the Act on the Guarantee of Basic Academic Skills, including clauses related to seeking cooperation from legal guardians.
Specifically, the council wants to add a provision stating that “guardians, including parents, shall cooperate in the selection of students eligible for learning support and the provision of remedial education unless there are special circumstances.”
The change would allow schools to provide extra classes for students deemed to lack basic academic skills even without parental consent.
“The goal is to ensure that students with weak basic academic skills receive at least the minimum support they need,” a council official said.
Parents reportedly often react with anger when they are told their child is falling behind. An elementary school teacher in Sejong said many responds with denial, insisting their child is not the type who needs extra instruction at school or dismissing the teacher’s assessment as biased and blaming the issue instead on the child being younger than his or her classmates.
“Some students are at a point where they need professional help outside school to identify the exact cause of the problem and receive proper support,” the teacher said, speaking anonymously. “But there are parents who refuse to accept that reality.”
A 41-year-old elementary school teacher in Seoul, only identified as B, said that when schools send home notices about supplementary classes, it is rare for parents to agree immediately.
The dangers of falling behind early
Neglecting low basic academic proficiency at an early age can lead to continued learning problems. Falling behind in Hangeul, the Korean alphabet, and basic arithmetic is particularly harmful because both serve as the foundation for all subsequent learning.
Without a proper grasp of Hangeul, a child may not even be able to write their own name, while comprehension across other subjects can fall sharply. In math, the effects are also cumulative. A student who does not understand addition is likely to struggle with multiplication, then division and eventually fractions.
A 38-year-old elementary school teacher in North Jeolla Province, only identified as C, said the second and third grade levels are the most critical years for building basic academic skills.
“From that point on, the curriculum becomes more demanding. If a child falls behind at this stage, the academic difficulties tend to persist,” he said.
B added that schools need to intervene more actively regardless of parents’ wishes, just as they do when they detect signs of child abuse.
Despite growing calls from the education sector, the chances of the law being revised remain uncertain, as parental authority over a child’s education still outweighs other considerations. An education ministry official said parental consent is essential under the Act on the Guarantee of Basic Academic Skills for schools to provide additional classes.
“For now, unless a child has emotional or behavioral difficulties severe enough to disrupt classes and affect other students, it is difficult to compel parents to cooperate with after-school support for students who are below basic academic proficiency,” the official said.
This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.