3.5 out 10 of parents in Seoul's Gangnam neighborhood say they choose to live there because of the "superior educational environment." "Cultural facilities" and "investment value" come later. Education officials have long tended to interpret the average Gangnam parent's understanding of "superior educational environment" to be "competitiveness in university entrance."
Depending on how you look at it that does make some sense. But officials have neglected to deal with the disparity in formal education, because they have focused on the effects of private tutoring in the area. There still exists differences between Seoul's neighborhoods on separate sides of the Han River when it comes to support for formal education expenses, and those differences are contributing to the preference for Gangnam.
According to a study by Uri Party member Yi In Yeong, average education expenses for a single elementary, middle, and high school student in Gangnam-gu last year was W780,000. In Gangbuk-gu the average was W480,000. For students at Gangnam-gu's elementary school "D" the average was W1.44 million, and at Gangseo-gu's elementary school "G" the number was W270,000. As for middle schools, the average at Gangnam's middle school "D" was W930,000 and at Dongdaemun's middle school "S" it was W240,000. The differences originate in support from neighborhood governments and the portion of education expenses and "school development funds" that are paid by parents.
Of the greatest importance is that children be given equal educational opportunities. They must not face discrimination based on who gave birth to them and what district they live in. If disparity in formal public education is allowed to exist as it does in private extra-curricular tutoring, all education will end up doing is reproduce class and conflict and it will not pursue the spirit of social integration and tolerance.
You can't stop parents and neighborhood governments from supporting schools for the sake of better educational conditions. There is talk of a "Robin Hood" type of system that would force support by the rich for the educational expenses of the poor, but achieving social consensus – something very important for education – is difficult. The government needs to achieve balance in education expenses by increasing support for neighborhood governments with poor conditions.
The Hankyoreh, 4 October 2005.
[Translations by Seoul Selection (PMS)]
[Editorial] Discrimination in Education for Being Poor |
