Listen to Our Voices! ... Gyeongnam Youth's Hopes for Korea in 2022

4369 Responses, From Politics and Education to Vaccine Passes

On the 4th, the Gyeongsangnam-do Office of Education Research and Information Center announced the results of a survey titled "What Gyeongnam Youth Wish for Korea in 2022."

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Trainee Reporter Lee Seryeong] The Gyeongsangnam-do Office of Education Research and Information Center conducted a survey titled ‘What Gyeongnam Youth Wish for Korea in 2022’ to welcome the New Year 2022 and announced the results on the 4th.

The Information Center conducted the survey by allowing respondents to freely leave their opinions in five areas: politics and society, culture and arts, education, medical and health care, and others.

The survey, conducted over eight days from December 7 to 14, 2021, received responses from a total of 4,369 youths, and the collected opinions can be found on the Gyeongnam Education Cyber Library website and other platforms.

Responses by category in the 2022 South Korea Wish Survey from Gyeongnam Youth.

In the politics and society area, opinions about various elections to be held this year were the most frequent.

Many expressed a desire to participate in elections, suggested lowering the voting age for education superintendent elections so that students can directly elect the superintendent, and called for strengthening education related to politics and elections.

A middle school student from Jinju city said, “I hope presidential candidates gather opinions from all citizens, from children and students to the elderly, propose pledges accordingly, and faithfully fulfill those pledges.”

Concerns about the economy, such as the hardship caused by rising prices and the need for housing prices to decrease, as well as thoughts on politics and society including achieving carbon neutrality and expanding parental leave, were also expressed by youths.

In the culture and arts area, the most common opinion was that youths outside the metropolitan area should have more opportunities for cultural experiences. The majority also noted that cultural and artistic infrastructure is concentrated in the metropolitan area.

A high school student from Yangsan city requested, “Please lower the barriers to cultural experiences, including the cost of attending orchestras or concerts, so that students can easily enjoy them.”

There was a demand for all schools to change so that students can be more exposed to culture and arts even if they are not attending art-related schools. Some suggested dividing culture and arts subjects into categories such as general, piano, and dance, similar to how math classes are divided into geometry and statistics.

Opinions were voiced that education should move away from rote learning toward diverse and practical education, and there were criticisms of education centered on private tutoring.

A high school student from Changnyeong county said, “It is time to eradicate the rigid competitive education system,” and a middle school student from Yangsan called for the introduction of debate-style education.

Regarding the high school credit system, positive and negative opinions appeared at similar levels.

Other opinions included the need for an educational environment that protects human rights and alleviates academic stress.

Regarding the vaccine pass, there was a view that ‘sovereignty over one’s own body’ should be respected and that education on public health should be conducted in schools rather than coercing vaccination.

Additionally, youths expressed thoughts on a wide range of topics including the climate crisis, preservation of traditional culture, protection of the vulnerable, vegetarian meals, animal and child abuse, and sexual violence, hoping these would be reflected in the political sphere and the elections to be held this year.

The Gyeongnam Office of Education plans to support the development of students’ future capabilities, keeping in mind the beginning of a full-fledged era of youth citizenship with the exercise of voting rights at age 18 and the lowering of candidacy age limits for National Assembly and local government elections.

Jang Jung-yong, Acting Director of the Education Research and Information Center, said, “Education is about listening to the voices of youth and cooperating together to find the direction our society should take.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.