As an experienced professor at a college of education, Director Hahn offers his assessment and suggestions on the secondary education system in Korea.
The enthusiasm for education in Korea, and its role in elevating the nation to one of the most developed countries in the world, are well acknowledged. However, this education system cannot be sustained only by the parents’ zeal for their children.
Hahn points out that high-quality education requires high-quality teaching staff. Unfortunately, he observed a worrisome trend while teaching at a college of science education for over 20 years, where the coursework related to teaching has gradually eclipsed the course load on academic specializations. He opines that more dedication to academic subjects is necessary for creative and inspirational education programs in science, when deep insights and expertise in the subject matter are combined with various teaching techniques. Prospective science teachers should be familiar with the latest developments in their respective fields.
On a more fundamental level, Hahn is apprehensive about the pressure for secondary school teachers to be able to teach a wider array of courses, and the heavy emphasis placed on Korean, mathematics and English when evaluating students for post-secondary education. Despite their importance, each subject is being taught as more of a metric for assessing the learning abilities of a student rather than for practical purposes, especially English. Hahn offers a fraction of the time spent on English for alternative activities such as art/physical education, creative experiences and career exploration.
Hahn joins a list of people calling for more comprehensive perspectives on the current education system in Korea, in spite of the ingrained tradition of preparing secondary school students for the grand purpose of achieving high scores on university entrance exams.
Link to the original column in Korean: https://www.seoul.co.kr/news/newsView.php?id=20210504029012