By Seoh Bong-seong
A few weeks ago, an elementary school teacher passed out two sheets paper to her students, but one of the boys in her class threw one of them away. The teacher told him that he should take the papers home for his parents to read. Why did you throw it away?" The boy swore at her with a venomous retort.
Last April, a high-school girl grabbed her teacher's long hair and insulted her over and over again, furious that the woman had scolded her. This case was resolved with the help of other teachers.
Finally, a high-school student verbally abused and punched his principal in the face after the man confiscated his lighter and cigarettes.
Many people say if they want to catch a glimpse of a country's future, look at the students and the educational system of the nation. If so, how can so many shameful events like these occur here?
Korean society was organized according to the principles of Confucianism during the Joseon Kingdom. An intellectual class comprising nearly 10 percent of the population led the nation. Their children were schooled with proper manners. These types of incidents were virtually unheard of then. If they did occur, the offender would lose all social status.
Despite diehard fighting, the Jewish people eventually lost their land to the Romans, and were then dispersed throughout the world. Nevertheless, wherever they went, they always took the Talmud, the legendary guidebook for Jewish life. They taught their children how to use this book, which is full of wonderful, but admonitory stories.
A few years ago, the Edinburgh University announced the results of an international IQ testing. Hong Kong came in first, followed by South Korea, while Israel placed 19th. About 30 percent of Nobel Prize winners are Jewish. Jewish-Americans hold 35 percent of the most important positions in the United States. I believe the Talmud is responsible for these outstanding achievements.
When puritans from England and Ireland landed in America, they used the Bible as a textbook to teach their children. Many considerate and humorous Americans are not a product of nature, but of nurture.
In the mid-1970s, Singaporean Premier Lee Kuan Yew asked the Yanjing Institute of Harvard University to edit an educational textbook for refining personalities from childhood. At the time, Singapore was on a par with Japan in the rate of economic growth.
He believed that as the material wealth of his compatriots grew, they became spiritually poorer. He wanted the Sino-English textbook to comprise selections from the Seven Chinese Classics, but adapted to apply to modern society. Although small, Singapore is a strong country with little crime, whose citizens are known for their politeness. In addition, corruption among government officials and politicians is virtually unheard of. I believe it is because it modeled itself after the best parts of Asia, Western Europe, and the U.S.
In Taiwan, they begin teaching manners and etiquette in the third grade of primary school. Children can soon recite phrases from the Analects of Confucius, and they are polite for their age. Students from elementary school, through middle and high school, and even into university and graduate school, bow to their teachers in greeting at the beginning of each class. They express their gratitude once the class ends. It's the same in China.
What about in Korea? Why does this greeting take place with students here only in elementary school?
In olden times, ancestors taught kids at home or at private village schools called seodang, using various classical texts, which laid out the proper way to live. Recently, some judges, politicians, school teachers, and civil servants, who did not receive that kind of training, have been criticized for actions deemed illogical or unreasonable.
Consider, especially, the case of a judge. In order to inspire trust and respect, he or she must form balanced opinions in order to rule fairly without prejudice. As it stands now, though, most simply study law textbooks and pass a bar exam, usually in their 20s. Although they study extremely hard while preparing for the exam by reading the texts and memorizing the legal code, the scope of their reading materials is so narrow that they have few chances to gain other, indirect experience through a broader range of texts. As such, can we say for sure that they will judge fairly without fail? I think not.
``Respect others as you would like to be respected." That's how the adage goes. Law school is a good platform to train competent lawyers but it is naive to believe experienced lawyers can become qualified judges and prosecutors.
How much longer will our government ignore making improvements of character within the realm of public education?
The writer is professor of the Department of Chinese Language & Culture at the Jeju International University. Contact him at benseoh@naver.com.