Dropping
out of school is a serious problem in Korea. According to one recent
news report, over 280,000 school-aged children are not in school, which
amounts to 4 percent of total students. Aside from this regrettable
statistic, schools do an excellent job in preparing students for
college, which makes Korea, according to the International Student
Assessment Program, one of the highest ranking countries in the world
for providing quality education to students. .
Since
the Korean educational system does such an excellent job in comparison
to other countries, it is easy to see why they do not want to jeopardize
their well-deserved reputations as educators. The price for this
excellence is high in terms of the number of students who are not able
to keep up with the expected pace, and dropout. To offer some measure of
relief for those who find the competition too demanding, the government has permitted the diocese of Taegu to begin program for these students.
The editorial in the Catholic Times, and an accompanying article, recounts what the diocese of Taegu has decided to do to help these students. The Ministry of
Education has approved a program for one of these schools in
Taegu."Seedbed for Dreams" is the name of the school, which will open in
September. They will be given students who find it difficult to make it
in the government schools. And they will continue as members of their
school classes, getting full credit for their studies, and will be
allowed to graduate with the other members of their regular class.
The
special classes will be limited to 15 students. The editorial mentions
that a big problem for these students has been a lack of concern for
them, with no one showing an interest in their problems. This will
change with the small classes and with individual attention.
Students
will cover the same subjects as they would in the government schools,
but in an alternative school fashion. They not only will be
concentrating on the texts provided but will be free to study the
subject by moving beyond the written material, exercising more freedom
and creativity than normal.
The
alternative curriculum will offer human development subjects: art
activities, city farming; and scouting activities such as sports and
hiking, do-it-yourself arts and crafts, computers, and SNS subjects. For
students living in circumstances filled with conflict, they will have
the opportunity to take courses in music and art therapy, which will
help in developing an optimistic view of life.
Korea
is proud of what students have been able to accomplish. And the
Ministry of Education is trying to reach out to those who have problems
with the present educational methods by making the curricula more humane
for all, allowing students more opportunities to enjoy the learning
experience and restoring their ability to dream of a successful future
life.
