South Korea

South Korea’s Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology leads education reform to prevent excessive prior learning from private tutoring 

*Original article in Korean

Joongang News (September 26, 2012)

Prior learning in Korea refers to educational programs offered via private institutes, which teach above-grade-level school curricula to students in advance. Subjects are taught a year ahead of  schedule, and even three years in certain cases. South Korea’s Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology announced that the excessive prior learning has caused problems in students’ cognitive, social and emotional, and educational development. The ministry has presented an outline for a new policy that plans to solve the problems through:

-Examination of public school curricula that might encourage prior learning.

-Examination of the effects of prior learning on the entrance exams for high schools and colleges.

-Exploration of the successful public school models with regard to curriculum management.

-Conducting scientific and practical research on the disadvantages of prior learning.

-Probing of private tutoring programs.

For more information:

Link to the article from the blog of the Korean Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology (Korean)

Prior Learning (English)

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