Educational System to Emulate

After seeing a video on Finland's schools, a priest working with the youth in the diocese, in an article for priests, compares the school system of Finland with the one we have here in Korea.  Finland 60 years ago was, he says, very similar to Korea, but since then both countries have gone in different directions.

"Since we have nothing, nothing is to be thrown away" sums up the Finnish approach to any issue or problem. Being a small powerless country, it  considers their people its greatest resource, and believes any society formed by those that have been brought up to compete with others is not healthy, and that all of a student's strong points have to be developed to have a healthy country. These were the thoughts of the priest as he watched the video.

For the first nine years of schooling in Finland, there are no exams and no grades. You compete with yourself and not with others. After 9 years, there is a national exam that determines what schools and  students are doing well and not so well. What the priest found significant and different were the efforts being made to help the students and schools that are not doing well.  Finland's educational policy is designed to help raise the level of all the students and all the schools, with the goal of producing better students and schools. No one in this educational agenda is to be left out, and it's all free until the master's degree in college.

Both Finland and Korea score very high in the international tests, but the priest notes that in Finland, they have no private programs of study; they are interested in all the students, not only the good students. In Korea, however, the students have no time to play but are always at the books, preparing for exams.  He asks, whimsically, why is it that Korean students have the world's greatest amount of private study, studying from morning until night, and yet don't do any better than students from a country without private study and with concern for helping the poorer student?

The priest recalls a meeting of all those in the diocese who work with students. They went to where a priest  had a shelter for young people. The priest at the shelter shocked the group by recounting that in the past those who had difficulty fitting in at school were disciplined or suspended for a short period of time but now  told not to come back to school. Many of them wander the streets, receive food aid, and are involved  with drugs.He laments that the  present situation with our young people is troubling.

Our society finds it easy to see and reward the attractive,  bright and accomplished young people but not so keen in helping the unattractive, slow-to-learn and less accomplished. Finland has made an important discovery that Korea, and the rest of the world would do well to acknowledge and emulate.  Incorporating the best features of the Finnish school system means less emphasis on  the economics of the  country and  more interest  on its greatest resource people.

Korean College Entrance Exams

One of the trials high school students face in Korea is their college entrance exams. It has turned into an ordeal because of how important passing the exams has become in the culture. Whether it deserves to be so important is another question, but the extraordinary effort often made to pass the exams makes the life of the students and parents difficult.

The president of a girl's Catholic high school in Seoul writes a letter of encouragement  to those who, in about 100 days, will be taking those dreaded exams. The sister- president begins by mentioning the weather, the damage and even deaths caused  by the rains, and during this time, she feels sure they have been at their desks preparing for the exams.

"All of you in 3rd year high school and those taking the exam again are in my heart," she tells them, "and I want to show you my concern. You have worked hard at your studies and have overcome the temptation to play. You have nurtured your dream and have sweated much. Your parents and teachers have encouraged you, but you have no peace and are fretful."

She continues by telling the students that they will feel unprepared for the exams, that the time is short and that they will be comparing themselves with others and come up short.  That one day of exams, she says, will be a judgement not only on their high school years but on their whole 12 years of schooling. She, as a predecessor and one who spends time with them in school, wants to say something that she hopes will give them some peace.

"First of all, the exam is not determining your individual value or capabilities," she reminds them,  "but your faithfulness to the study program; it will give you a chance to look at your attitude to life and to examine it. Of course, you can see what your objectives were and can determine whether your efforts were satisfying and sufficient. It is the first serious exam you will be taking  but it is not everything." She prays that they do not drink the bitter cup of defeat from the exams.

She goes on to say that she has met many who, by experiencing the anguish of defeat, have grown strong and mature. In life, there are many exams and trials, failing some and succeeding with others, but what is necessary is to do your best and leave the rest up to God.

She wants them to consider, above all else, their health and what would be a fitting way for them to spend this last period of study. 100 days is still a good period of time, but if they face it as in a sprint, the chances are they will tire out quickly. She also hopes they will have the peace of mind to see the other students not only as competitors but as deserving of the same victorious results as they hope for themselves.

She ends her words of encouragement with the following prayer: "Lord, may our students receive the results that their efforts merit. May they have a clear mind enabling them to display what they have learned. And if by chance they don't do well may they not become dejected but give them patience and strength. Amen."

Korean Catholic Church Efforts in Mission Overseas

At the Suwon Cathedral, the diocese will be ordaining 17 deacons to the priesthood on August 19th. With this class of newly ordained, we will have 417 priests in the diocese, and, as Korea continues to be blessed with vocations, 4,490 priests in the country, for about 5 million Catholics, which makes it  relatively easy for our bishops to plan and develop programs for the dioceses.

Interviewed by the Catholic Times, Auxiliary Bishop Jung of Inchon, on returning from a meeting of Korean missioners in Panama working in Latin America, knows that Korea by sending missioners to countries in need of them, will be  blessed. Korea will be returning to other countries what Korea has received from foreign missioners.

Bishop Jung, president of the  Committee for Pastoral Care of Koreans Living Abroad, carefully expressed in the interview his feelings on a name change for the committee. "It is not the overseas Koreans but evangelization overseas that should be the focus of our work, " he said. "Consequently it is time to change the name of the committee to the more appropriate title of  Evangelization in Overseas Missions." He feels that the committee should have its primary interest in missions overseas to the non-Christian. "Water that stays put putrefies," he said. "The Church's involvement in mission work will make us break out of our stagnate situation."

The bishop concludes the interview by saying, "The missioners overseas need your financial aid but more so your interest and  prayers.  I hope all  understand that  missions  overseas are not the work of others; there are many places that we can be of help. The Committee for Pastoral Care of Koreans Living Abroad will form a network for missioners abroad, supporting and publicizing their efforts; to this task, I will zealously devote myself."

Hearing what the bishop had to say brought to mind our own Catholic Mission Society of America (Maryknoll) that will be celebrating this year our centennial year. Sadly, we are not doing well in recruiting vocations to the missionary life, as once was the case. I received a few days ago a video, another attempt to  move  the hearts of our young people to consider the work of mission. The efforts  of those assigned to this very important work are great, but the results are few. For those interested, the video can be seen at: http://www.vimeo.com/27536509.

Building a Culture of Life

The Peace Weekly, in efforts to strengthen the culture of life movement, is spreading the word in its weekly column and  news dispatches. In a recent issue a professor emeritus of the Catholic University reports that the birthrate in Korea is the lowest in the world. Theoretically, to maintain the present population each couple has to give birth to one daughter who in turn gives birth to another daughter. In Korea this is not happening.

What makes the  situation worse is that women in larger numbers than in the past  are avoiding marriage. And those who do marry but don't want children is increasing. In  2005, the number of women who said it was of little concern to them whether they married or not was 44.9 percent. 35 percent said it made no difference whether they had children or not; in 1997, it was only 9.7 percent, a colossal change.

This change began in 1961 with the government's efforts to lower the birthrate. Their approach was to dispense family planning advice in public health centers, with personnel having little sensitivity to the circumstances of the expectant mother, recommending to all the use of artificial means of birth control. Another means to lower the birthrate was to curtail health insurance for giving birth to a third child. In addition, those who were sterilized were given preference for apartments. During this time, there was a climate of not respecting the human rights of citizens in these matters, and abortion became the accepted method of reducing births.  

Other countries are showing more anxiety  with our reduced birthrate than we are, the professor laments.  David Coleman, professor of demography at Oxford, said that if Korea continues in its present direction, it will be the first nation to disappear from the earth. The UN Future Forum also said that if the birthrate in Korea continues to decrease, by 2305, it will be a country with a population of 50,000, 20,000 men and 30,000 women. This should make us think seriously about our present policies.

Our government, however, is now working to bring about a change, to alleviate the most pressing problems. With many avoiding giving birth because of the expense of raising and educating the children, the government is offering help to lessen the financial burden.  Many local governments are giving about $10,000 for any 3rd child, but this is not having much of an  effect because of the persuasive policies of the recent past to lower birthrates.

In 1980,  one of the slogans was "Even one is many."  And the government set up the Family Planning Association to decrease the number of births. In 1999, this group became the Family Welfare Association, and in 2005, the name was again changed to the Public Health and Welfare Association, whose goal was now "Making a world fit for  children to be born." It soon became a movement to help raise and educate  children and to help sterile couples.  Looking back, the professor says it is laughable to see how exaggerated were the threats to the country of an increasing birthrate.

The Church from the beginning made clear its position on this issue, but was reviled by the government for not going along with their policy. It is important to do all that is possible to raise the birthrate but also to keep in mind the importance of bringing about a culture that sees the preciousness of life and the family.      

Experiencing the Religious Life

For more than ten years Buddhists in Korea have conducted temple-stay programs, providing an opportunity for both Koreans and foreigners to experience  the life of a Buddhist monk or nun  by living like they do for a few days.

One write-up on the temple-stay program quoted a monk, "Everyone has  the potential to be enlightened, but they have to overcome the greedy mind, the angry mind and the foolish mind." To quiet this 3-fold mind, time is spent in chanting, partaking in the tea ceremony and monastic formal meals, doing 108 prostrations, and practicing zen meditation. The experience is not easily forgotten.

Catholicism  has been influenced  by the success of these programs and now has similar programs in  many of their convents and monasteries, which will acquaint the young people during their vacation time on what the life of a Catholic religious is like. These programs did not start with the temple-stay programs but were given impetus by what they were able to achieve.

The Benedictines have had programs for all ages for a long time, and during student  vacation time, programs are aimed at the young men to help them experience the life of a Benedictine religious.  They live, eat, pray and work with the monks, reflect on their life, and work at developing a mature spiritual life. It gives them an opportunity to find vitality in the life of the spirit. Other Religious orders--Augustinian, Salesian, Jesuit, Dominican, and many others--have their own programs to introduce their particular spirituality to those who are interested.

The number attending these programs and the number of different religious groups that have developed programs continue to increase each year.  Both the sisters and monks have programs that help give the young an idea of what the religious life is, but at the same time help  to see themselves  on a deeper level.

Similar to these programs, and a quick way to learn, are the immersion programs that are available today, such as the language immersion programs and, offered by Maryknoll, mission immersion programs for those wanting to learn about mission life. It is a way of activating more than the head in the process of learning. The popularity of these retreats is a good sign of the desire of our young people to deepen their spiritual life. Hopefully, it will continue to develop. 

Focolare's Economy of Communion

During the last days of July over 3000 persons attended the city of Mary (Mariapolis) in Korea for 4 days. It is a 'temporary city' where everybody practices the teaching in Christ's prayer: "May they all be one." Those that attend forget their place in society, their age, occupation and religion, and become brothers and sisters to those present.  This year the theme was "Our Yes to God." These temporary cities have been set up in over 180  places in the world where the Focolare Movement has members.

An article in the Peace Weekly introduces us to the "Korean Mariapolis 2011," where time was set aside for meditation, workshops, faith-sharing sessions, Mass each day, and living as Jesus would like us to live.

During the 4 days they had the opportunity to see, among other things, a video of the life of Chiara Luce Badano, who died at 18, and was recently beatified. She was a Focolarista who lived an exemplary life. facing her death from sickness with great peace. There was also time to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Economy of Communion, which was started in Brazil in 1991 by the founder of the Focolare Movement Chiara Lubich.

This movement is also active in over 60 countries, with about 750 businesses participating. As explained in an interview with Focalare's Economy of Communion, the focus of the movement is centered on: 

Helping people in need, creating new jobs and intervening to meet their immediate needs, beginning with those who share in the spirit that animates the Economy of Communion;

Spreading the "Culture of Giving and of Loving," indispensable and necessary values for an Economy of Communion;

Growing the business,  remaining efficient while remaining open to giving.

They quoted in the article the words of a few of the participants. One woman said, "My life is on the fast lane: eating quickly, driving fast, always in competition with a feeling of being  pursued. Here, when I am alone someone with a smile always comes along and starts a conversation. And at the table or at the bathroom there is always someone telling you to go first. This I have not found in my 50 years of life."

Another man who considered himself a good father and husband, fulfilling his duties faithfully, realized that this was not always the case because of the habits he acquired over the years. He resolved to be a better husband and father.

At the Mass on July 27th, during the sermon, the priest said, "We are well aware, theoretically, what it means to love but there  are all kind of obstacles to living this in daily life. It is in relationships that we are continually being tuned to allow God's light of love to enter in."

The Focolare Movement has its social and economic counterpart in the Economy of Communion, which now has about 750 businesses involved world-wide. It is an attempt to reverse in our economic pursuits the dominant emphasis on money instead of where it belongs, on the human person. Their recent meeting in Brazil, which drew 650 participants from 37 countries, was intended to provide alternative ways of looking at the economic systems that have controlled the world for so long, with the long term goals of offering more sustainable and humane methods for achieving economic progress.


 

Foreign Workers In Korea

Those who work with foreign workers in many countries of the world are familiar not only with their dreams of finding a better life in the new country but with the frustrations they encounter: delayed payment of salaries, the temporary nature of the jobs, unfair treatment, lawsuits, and the difficulties that often arise when they marry and need help to get settled. Koreans who have worked in other countries in the past have also experienced the same difficulties.

"I was a stranger and you welcomed me" (Mat. 25:35) is cited by a priest writing in the Peace Weekly to preface his remarks on the foreign worker issue. He is the priest  responsible for caring for foreign workers in his diocese. He has an International  Mass for them each Sunday and works as their pastor.

His desire is that they will have a good recollection of  Korea when they return to their countries. It is because Koreans are unwilling to do the jobs that are dirty, dangerous and difficult that we have the need for foreigner workers, a need greatly expanded when the country prepared itself for the '88 Olympics.

The priest recounts the story  of a worker who wanted to change his place of work.  He asked the owner of the factory for the opportunity to go to Mass on Sunday and  sing in the choir. The owner got angry and told him that if it was that important to him, he should get another job.  The priest helped him get a new job where he could attend Mass, and the worker is now happy with the situation.

He mentions another man whose contract expired and refused to return home.  The  priest and Sister tried to change his mind but failed.  Upset and drinking too much, he had an accident while riding his motorcycle.  It was then the priest heard that the money he had carefully saved and sent home to his wife had been squandered; nothing was left of his five years of work. The priest had nothing to say but did what he could to help him.

Many of the foreign workers experience depression, conflicting emotions and worry because of the often hostile working conditions. Many factory owners have no thought of the emotional needs of these workers  but only see them as bodies for doing work. Those who work to improve conditions within this foreign community are many, and they are doing an important job. But the work will become even more difficult as the  number of foreign workers coming to Korea continues to increase. With about one in four becoming illegal, the total number having overstayed their allotted time is now estimated to be about 27,000. This is a problem for the country and for those that work with the foreign community.

There is a need on the part of the underdeveloped countries to find work for their young people  if not at home, then in other countries. Korea continues to need workers to fill the jobs Koreans don't want. Last year, more than 10 billion dollars was sent back to the home countries of the workers. And in the process, everyone benefits. Korea is especially conscious of the bad publicity that is being exported along with the workers on  returning to their homelands. This awareness is sure to bring changes in the  treatment of  foreign workers.