"Education Enthusiasm in Asia, Including Han, Becomes a Stress Factory for Students"

"Policies to Ease Educational Competition in Korea, Singapore, and Others"
"Economic Development Due to Educational Zeal... Not Easy to Change"

American media reported that Asian countries with high educational enthusiasm, such as Korea and Singapore, have recently been implementing policies to reduce the burden on students. However, they pointed out that changing the education system is a difficult task despite these efforts.

The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on the 10th (local time) that “countries like Korea, Singapore, and China are known for their world-class academic achievements,” adding, “Their school systems are among the most competitive globally and adopt proactive approaches.”

However, WSJ reported that “the education systems in these countries have become ‘stress factories’ from the students’ perspective.” There is intense pressure to pass exams, and in many cases, long hours of homework or private tutoring are required.

WSJ stated that governments in these countries are trying to curb this competition through policies to alleviate students’ anxiety and reduce the financial burden on families. As an example, it cited the Korean education authorities’ decision to exclude so-called ‘killer questions,’ which are extremely difficult problems, from the college entrance exam.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Singapore also eliminated midterm exams in middle schools and abolished all exams for first and second graders in elementary school. Taiwan began requiring applicants to submit non-academic achievements to reduce the weight of exam scores in college admissions.

China strictly regulates private tutoring by banning tutoring centers, prohibited written exams for first and second graders, and removed high-difficulty questions beyond the curriculum from other exams. Additionally, teachers were ordered to stop sharing exam scores in chat rooms with parents.

However, WSJ pointed out that “reforming the education system in these countries is a difficult task.” In East Asian countries, high educational enthusiasm and successful education systems have enabled children from working-class families to secure stable jobs such as doctors, which in turn contributed to national economic development.

WSJ explained that for this reason, wealthy families invest heavily in private education to send their children to top schools, and the enormous educational expenses are one of the reasons why birth rates in East Asian countries like Korea, China, Taiwan, and Singapore are among the lowest in the world.

WSJ noted that for these reasons, students and parents still experience stress. In China, many parents hire private tutors to circumvent regulations on tutoring centers, and in Singapore, after midterm exams were abolished, parents send their children to academies to take mock midterm exams.

Governments in each country are also cautious about competition becoming too lax. WSJ reported that Singapore views Japan’s ‘Yutori (relaxed) education’ in the 1990s as a failure case.

At that time, Japan emphasized student autonomy and character development, discouraged rote memorization, and reduced class hours. However, when their top-level scores in international assessments such as PISA sharply declined in the 2000s, they reintroduced nationwide academic assessments and reverted to the previous education system.

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