Summary
Recently in South Korea two students committed suicide and left a note saying they hate school. This is just one of many stories in a country where suicide is the leading cause of death for teens. South Korea places an enormous value on education. For South Korean students, the school might end at 4 pm, but school work continues, adding up to a 14 hour school day. There lives seemed to be determined by a single college entry exam. Some politicians have pushed for more play time, but that is not the direction that this country is headed in. Because South Korea’s primary resource is human resource, all of their energy is put into educating the youth. However, the byproduct of this is a ridiculous amount of stress on the children.
Analysis
It is hard to say whether or not politicians should be pushing for more play time, if this what their constituents values. If there are going to be a change in government policy, there needs to be a change in public perception. There is no point in striving for success, if the success does not bring a person happiness. If these students are miserable to the point that they to commit suicide, then what was the point of it all. I believe that education comes from more than school. Mark Twain said “ I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.” It is important for these parents and society to see education outside of schooling so they can learn about life and how to enjoy it.
http://www.npr.org/blogs/parallels/2015/04/15/393939759/the-all-work-no-play-culture-of-south-korean-education
No comments:
Post a Comment